There are certain things that heal a broken heart. Support from friends who truly love you, dunks, and powder. I have two of three here in Boston.
2009 was one of the hardest years of my life. I turned 30, broke up with my live-in boyfriend of 3.5 years, moved 2000 miles from the Rocky Mountains to Boston, and saw more business deals come and go without coming to fruition than ever before. In the heat of my heartbreak I saw my two best friends get engaged. Many times I trudged home from work with with tears screaming down my face. And yet I've felt my heart race again when I meet someone new. The anger, heart-break, and sadness still surface, but as Bella would say, the edges around my heart don't sting as much anymore.
Right now I'm sitting on the couch in our Vermont house, blogging, and watching the snow fall outside on top of our hot tub. Little daisy is curled up next to me and Dan's music mix is easing my hungover muscles. The last two days were cold, cold, cold. My big toe turned black with frostbite and stung like a mo'fo when it thawed. Dary came up and skiied with me yesterday. We found one run with some powder, but otherwise I was negotiating ice on my butterknife powder skiis, which clearly don't help me much out here.
I'm not sure if I'm sold on Boston. Coming back was a bit of an experiment. The intention was to come back for 5 months and then decide to stay or go back. Zion is happier here. I get great fulfillment from hanging out with my parents, Gia, Jodi, and Jamie's family. It was a rough year at work, but at least I sit in the same office as Nate again and look out our huge bay windows onto the Back Bay.
Tonight I get to wish away 2009 and hope for a better 2010. It's going to be cold in Boston and come March I'll be training for the Ironman. I certainly didn't let myself rest by signing up for that. It should serve as the greatest test of my strength - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Every day that I train, I think about how the strains of life take so much from my outer shell, but I feel so powerful from within. It's like there is an inner strength that is telling me how ready I am to do this, how strong I am, and how I've never had more strength in my life than right now. Frankly, I know exactly what that strength is meant for and it's not for IM, but that is where I'm going to direct it.
My heart of crying out for just one thing, but as Jodi says, I have another couple of months before I'll be ready for it.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Peeing on the Bus
I'm riding on the megabus from Boston to NYC, and during my first pit stop of the night, I was quickly reminded of how lucky men are when in need of peeing on a bus. Firstly, and perhaps the most important point, they don't have to sit down or hover. This becomes critically important when riding on a sub-standard bus, such as the Fung Wah, aka the bus that transports dead bodies from Boston to NY, or when riding in any third world country bus. The problem, is that the seat height and further back than normal placement of the bowl make it nearly impossible to hover, especially if you are average height, such as myself. So if there are complications in the bano, such as pee on the seat or worse, defecation, then you are f'ed. Defecation you ask? Yes, I have seen this. In fact, the situation was so grim, that I had to figure it out.
On a 20 hour cross country ride from Merida, Venezuela to Playa Colorada, I had to pee. There would not be a stop for hours, so I check out the bano. I'm not kidding when I say that there was shit splattered on every single wall of the bano. So, I did what anyone would, nearly wretch and return to my seat. Now an hour has gone by, and another hour... I have got to pee. I knew it was just a matter of time before I had to face the shit splattered bano again. So I return to the bano for a second recon mission to see if a pee would be possible. Needless to say, there were no tools to help the situation, and I mean obvious ones like toilet paper, running water with soap... These nice to haves don't exist in Venezuela. I return to the crime scene and It was just as dyer as how I remembered it. Shit everywhere, on the walls, seat, floor, everywhere. So I did what any person would do who had already seen it all and experienced it all (at this point I had been working and living in Venezuela for 3 months). I held my breath, grabbed the oh shit handle, and unable to back up far enough to hover over the bowl (due to shit on seat and further than normal back placement of the bowl) I peed all over myself. Yep, that's right, i peed all over myself. Elated that I had peed and hadn't gotten shit on myself, I returned to my seat with a smile.
Back to the point, it is much easier to be equipped like a man when in need of peeing on a bus.
On a 20 hour cross country ride from Merida, Venezuela to Playa Colorada, I had to pee. There would not be a stop for hours, so I check out the bano. I'm not kidding when I say that there was shit splattered on every single wall of the bano. So, I did what anyone would, nearly wretch and return to my seat. Now an hour has gone by, and another hour... I have got to pee. I knew it was just a matter of time before I had to face the shit splattered bano again. So I return to the bano for a second recon mission to see if a pee would be possible. Needless to say, there were no tools to help the situation, and I mean obvious ones like toilet paper, running water with soap... These nice to haves don't exist in Venezuela. I return to the crime scene and It was just as dyer as how I remembered it. Shit everywhere, on the walls, seat, floor, everywhere. So I did what any person would do who had already seen it all and experienced it all (at this point I had been working and living in Venezuela for 3 months). I held my breath, grabbed the oh shit handle, and unable to back up far enough to hover over the bowl (due to shit on seat and further than normal back placement of the bowl) I peed all over myself. Yep, that's right, i peed all over myself. Elated that I had peed and hadn't gotten shit on myself, I returned to my seat with a smile.
Back to the point, it is much easier to be equipped like a man when in need of peeing on a bus.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I dream of Colorado
I had my first dream of Colorado last night.
I dreamed that I was riding up the gondola at Beaver Creek. It was fall and the sun was warm but the grass was still brilliantly green, which is rare in Colorado due to the dryness. There were Christmas trees with wreaths on them and snow high in the mountains. The colors were magnificent. As I rode up the mountain I was crying and laughing at the same time. Crying because it was so beautiful and I was sad that I didn’t live there anymore, and laughing because I am happy that I left.
Things have been turbulent since I have returned to Boston. Being single again after nearly four years in a relationship is a big adjustment. At first I was angry, then sad, then I wanted to “start a fight” – not literally, but more like the way Pink sings about her breakup in the song “So What.” Only in the last couple of weeks do I feel that my heart isn’t being held together with stitches and ready to sink or explode at any negative thought or comment.
I feel stronger, although I don’t know why. I have plenty of things to look forward to, including my half share at Killington where I’ll be spending many weekends with friends. I’ve also been travelling a lot with work lately, which gets me out of the stimulus of Boston. Where I go from here, I really don’t know. Deep down I still want to be in the mountains tromping along in fluffy powder with Zion. I reminisce of spending time at Bent Gate looking at the gear with anticipation of the snowflakes to come. I dream of cold cozy winters, hut trips, sitting by the fireside with coffee and watching the snow fall. And I long for someone who enjoys the same.
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
I dreamed that I was riding up the gondola at Beaver Creek. It was fall and the sun was warm but the grass was still brilliantly green, which is rare in Colorado due to the dryness. There were Christmas trees with wreaths on them and snow high in the mountains. The colors were magnificent. As I rode up the mountain I was crying and laughing at the same time. Crying because it was so beautiful and I was sad that I didn’t live there anymore, and laughing because I am happy that I left.
Things have been turbulent since I have returned to Boston. Being single again after nearly four years in a relationship is a big adjustment. At first I was angry, then sad, then I wanted to “start a fight” – not literally, but more like the way Pink sings about her breakup in the song “So What.” Only in the last couple of weeks do I feel that my heart isn’t being held together with stitches and ready to sink or explode at any negative thought or comment.
I feel stronger, although I don’t know why. I have plenty of things to look forward to, including my half share at Killington where I’ll be spending many weekends with friends. I’ve also been travelling a lot with work lately, which gets me out of the stimulus of Boston. Where I go from here, I really don’t know. Deep down I still want to be in the mountains tromping along in fluffy powder with Zion. I reminisce of spending time at Bent Gate looking at the gear with anticipation of the snowflakes to come. I dream of cold cozy winters, hut trips, sitting by the fireside with coffee and watching the snow fall. And I long for someone who enjoys the same.
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
2000 Miles
After 2000 miles of driving I have arrived in Winchester, MA! I put in two huge days. I stopped along the way for a midday run on both big days which saved me and Zion from going insane. We stopped at KU and at a state park off the highway in Ohio where we could swim in Lake Erie. Luckily I was able to find a Barnes and Noble off the highway in Columbus and picked up the last Harry Potter book on CD. This sufficiently distracted me for the entire drive on Monday.
Red Rocks to Oakley, KS - 4 hours
Oakley, KS to the East side of Indianapolis - 16 hours
Indianapolis to Saratoga, NY - 16 hours
Saratoga, NY to Boston - 4 hours
As I sit here now my knees are sweating while sitting still - which is totally strange. I can't dry off! I grabbed a graham cracker from an open box and found it to be soggy from the humidity. So, I waited until it cooled off a bit and went for my first Winchester run, which was about 5 miles. Here's the route:
Tonight I'm going to hang out with my old friend Pick. I'm looking forward to a beer!
Red Rocks to Oakley, KS - 4 hours
Oakley, KS to the East side of Indianapolis - 16 hours
Indianapolis to Saratoga, NY - 16 hours
Saratoga, NY to Boston - 4 hours
As I sit here now my knees are sweating while sitting still - which is totally strange. I can't dry off! I grabbed a graham cracker from an open box and found it to be soggy from the humidity. So, I waited until it cooled off a bit and went for my first Winchester run, which was about 5 miles. Here's the route:
Tonight I'm going to hang out with my old friend Pick. I'm looking forward to a beer!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wisco, Dunks, and Harry
Chris and I are in Wisco for Steve Cramey's wedding. Today is a lucky day for me because I get to drink my beloved Dunks
and, I get to watch the newest release of Harry Potter. Could life get much better?
A quick recap on last weeks tri - the 5430 Peak. It was a blast. I did it in about 3 hours 19 min. I was secretly competing against a new friend and happily came out of the water 10 seconds faster, but got smoked on the bike. I need to get in more miles on the road and I also need a new bike. I'm interested in the Specialized Ruby Expert and I've learned that it is the hottest bike of the year...so no good discounts. It will be a month or two before I can save up to buy a new ride but I'm super excited to do it! I want to get a new bike, start training properly, and sign up for another event in a couple of months and see how I do.
and, I get to watch the newest release of Harry Potter. Could life get much better?
A quick recap on last weeks tri - the 5430 Peak. It was a blast. I did it in about 3 hours 19 min. I was secretly competing against a new friend and happily came out of the water 10 seconds faster, but got smoked on the bike. I need to get in more miles on the road and I also need a new bike. I'm interested in the Specialized Ruby Expert and I've learned that it is the hottest bike of the year...so no good discounts. It will be a month or two before I can save up to buy a new ride but I'm super excited to do it! I want to get a new bike, start training properly, and sign up for another event in a couple of months and see how I do.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Those Cheese Sticks Look SO Good!
You have to be kidding me, I looked up on Google Images "Mozzarella Cheese Sticks" and a smörgåsbord of delicious looking fried cheese sticks comes up. The thing that I miss the most is definitely CHEESE.
Cheese.
Cheese.
Cheese.
SCREW SOY!
Not really, I'm still eating vegan, but the non-dairy part sucks!
Cheese.
Cheese.
Cheese.
SCREW SOY!
Not really, I'm still eating vegan, but the non-dairy part sucks!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Going Vegan
A couple of weeks ago, at the height of my conference binge, I decided to wean myself off the beer and fat and go vegetarian. Since then, I've been reading a book called The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, PhD.
China Study tells us that we can avoid and reverse heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and many other familiar diseases by eating a whole foods, plant based diet sans dairy, fish or animal products. The book is NOT a diet book. It is scientific and the studies they site are extremely compelling.
Last year around this time I also subscribed to a vegan diet as a means for detoxing my body, inspired by the book Skinny Bitch (kick ass book for anyone). The tone of the book was hard hitting and hilarious, but the reasoning that they used for one to eat vegan wasn't as long lasting as the information in China Study.
A couple of the main points in China Study so far are:
- Animal protein advances the formation of cancer. In contrast, by eating a whole foods, plant based diet sans dairy or animal meat including fish, we can nearly halt the development of cancer.
- Heart disease is caused by high blood cholesterol, which is created by our bodies by ingesting animal food. We can avoid and reverse heart disease through a vegan diet.
I wasn't planning on going vegan a couple of weeks ago. I thought I'd just ease into this with a vegetarian diet. But, the further I get into this book the more motivated I am to eat vegan. This morning I had pancakes without milk or eggs!
I am feeling great and I'm looking forward to getting my blood tested to see what my cholesterol is now vs in a few months from now after eating vegan.
Next book up is Thrive, which talks about eating Vegan as an athlete.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Hotel Critic
I'm going on my third week in a row of being on the road. Drinking, eating, and no exercise has driven me to this point. Now, I'm laying in sheets that don't compare to the Westin's white fluffy heavenly bedding, yet I'm here with a refreshed outlook. I'm committing to new minimum standards, 1. eating vegetarian, and 2. at least 20 minutes of exercise a day.
On my flight to Atlanta tonight I sat next to a self proclaimed Schizophrenic. According to http://counsellingresource.com, symptoms include:
- a Major Depressive Episode,
- a Manic Episode, or
- a Mixed Episode
- delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
- grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
- negative symptoms, i.e., affective flattening, alogia, or avolition
Only one symptom is required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person's behavior or thoughts, or two or more voices conversing with each other."
She told me many things about her life including deaths in her family, how she found her birth mother since she was adopted, her marriage, her divorce, her illness, her age, her and her boyfriend's income, her smoking addiction and recovery habits, her religious views, and her plans to move west. At the end of the conversation (which I had to preemptively cut off since I think she would have enjoyed talking with me all night) she reached over and put her hand on my arm and said in an asking way, "at some point in your life, accept God... and make it soon. I like you, I want to see you in Heaven."
Her plea for me to follow God didn't go far but I did relate to her in the sense that she believes in something strongly, and I believe in other things strongly. These values, different for everyone, form the foundation of our lives, our balance, and serenity. For me, I believe in all parts equal. The parts that I believe must be strong for a person to feel whole, in not such an exact way, are love, eating, health, exercise, work, inspiration and stimulation. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I believe in spirituality in an undefined way.
I'm not upset that she asked me to follow God. I could easily ask someone to eat Vegetarian. I ask people to join me to compete in triathlon events all the time. The point being, people spread news about the things they care about most.
Meanwhile, I'm going to further my following of Vegetarianism tonight by reading China Study, and suggest that you read it too ;-)
On my flight to Atlanta tonight I sat next to a self proclaimed Schizophrenic. According to http://counsellingresource.com, symptoms include:
- a Major Depressive Episode,
- a Manic Episode, or
- a Mixed Episode
- delusions
- hallucinations
- disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
- grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
- negative symptoms, i.e., affective flattening, alogia, or avolition
Only one symptom is required if delusions are bizarre or hallucinations consist of a voice keeping up a running commentary on the person's behavior or thoughts, or two or more voices conversing with each other."
She told me many things about her life including deaths in her family, how she found her birth mother since she was adopted, her marriage, her divorce, her illness, her age, her and her boyfriend's income, her smoking addiction and recovery habits, her religious views, and her plans to move west. At the end of the conversation (which I had to preemptively cut off since I think she would have enjoyed talking with me all night) she reached over and put her hand on my arm and said in an asking way, "at some point in your life, accept God... and make it soon. I like you, I want to see you in Heaven."
Her plea for me to follow God didn't go far but I did relate to her in the sense that she believes in something strongly, and I believe in other things strongly. These values, different for everyone, form the foundation of our lives, our balance, and serenity. For me, I believe in all parts equal. The parts that I believe must be strong for a person to feel whole, in not such an exact way, are love, eating, health, exercise, work, inspiration and stimulation. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I believe in spirituality in an undefined way.
I'm not upset that she asked me to follow God. I could easily ask someone to eat Vegetarian. I ask people to join me to compete in triathlon events all the time. The point being, people spread news about the things they care about most.
Meanwhile, I'm going to further my following of Vegetarianism tonight by reading China Study, and suggest that you read it too ;-)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
GDC, not Jackson Hole
Another year at Game Developer's Conference (GDC) has come and gone. People always say, "Wow, there must be so many nerds there", or "How many guys hit on you tonight." It is true that there are mostly guys at this conference and some are stereotypical of gamers... well actually everyone is a gamer... but, everyone is not a nerd.
The business of gaming is pretty neat- mostly because everyone is passionate about what they are doing and because the business is quite complex. If you're not in it, then you don't know who is a publisher, who is a distributer, who is a developer or who is a producer. You wouldn't know that being in Developer Relations is like being in that old Tom Hanks movie "Big." And, you wouldn't know that most people at these events are very cool and very fun to hang out with.
There are however a few things that are annoying about GDC. Firstly, you will never meet more 20 something year olds who call themselves "C-Level." And on the same note, they all claim to have been brought into the company to "help clean it up." In other corporate businesses, you won't find people talking about stuff like that unless they are successful, older, and typically in VC.
Next, and perhaps due to the over-concentration of people who spend most of their time interacting with avatars, you will have far more guys who come in a little hot. Meaning, they try to act funny by saying something extremely crass (and most of the time they actually get away with it!?), or, they'll have one of their gaming buddies advance you and start with the line "see my buddy over there, he is so cool, seriously, he's the man." Meanwhile, the buddy is slobbering drunk and sitting across the table from you unable to understand much English, since he just flew in from France... or someplace else.
Ok, the stories above are true. Luckily, these scenarios are offset but running into familiar faces. I was so pleased to see my friends Sumi, Gabe, Adriano, Scott, Stephane, and Jeremy. You will always run into the same people time and time again at game conferences, which makes these events akin to visiting family.
Overall, the conference was successful. I got to meet with prospects from all over the world including the UK, Germany, Madrid, and California. The more that I get to kabitz with gamers, the better I start to understand the business. There are so many neat things to do and be a part of within the world of gaming, that "hanging out with nerds" is much more fun than it sounds ;-)
The business of gaming is pretty neat- mostly because everyone is passionate about what they are doing and because the business is quite complex. If you're not in it, then you don't know who is a publisher, who is a distributer, who is a developer or who is a producer. You wouldn't know that being in Developer Relations is like being in that old Tom Hanks movie "Big." And, you wouldn't know that most people at these events are very cool and very fun to hang out with.
There are however a few things that are annoying about GDC. Firstly, you will never meet more 20 something year olds who call themselves "C-Level." And on the same note, they all claim to have been brought into the company to "help clean it up." In other corporate businesses, you won't find people talking about stuff like that unless they are successful, older, and typically in VC.
Next, and perhaps due to the over-concentration of people who spend most of their time interacting with avatars, you will have far more guys who come in a little hot. Meaning, they try to act funny by saying something extremely crass (and most of the time they actually get away with it!?), or, they'll have one of their gaming buddies advance you and start with the line "see my buddy over there, he is so cool, seriously, he's the man." Meanwhile, the buddy is slobbering drunk and sitting across the table from you unable to understand much English, since he just flew in from France... or someplace else.
Ok, the stories above are true. Luckily, these scenarios are offset but running into familiar faces. I was so pleased to see my friends Sumi, Gabe, Adriano, Scott, Stephane, and Jeremy. You will always run into the same people time and time again at game conferences, which makes these events akin to visiting family.
Overall, the conference was successful. I got to meet with prospects from all over the world including the UK, Germany, Madrid, and California. The more that I get to kabitz with gamers, the better I start to understand the business. There are so many neat things to do and be a part of within the world of gaming, that "hanging out with nerds" is much more fun than it sounds ;-)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Live Simply
Life in Jackson Hole in a word is simple. Get up, go to the mountain, ski, drink beer, go to bed. It was so nice to be back.
We stayed at Chris’s CEO’s house in Driggs, which is just over the Pass from Wyoming. Equivalent being Carbondale to Aspen, except in Jackson there is a huge Pass in between the resort and the house which can be gnarly on a winter dump day. Luckily for us, the drive was easy. It was warm when we arrived and progressively got warmer as the week went on.
We arrived late Saturday night, or actually early in the morning. So on Sunday we lounged around the huge mountain home retreat all day long. It was so relaxing.
Monday and Tuesday we skied Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. It was super fun to show Chris the mountain, and luckily I remembered it very well so it was easy to find the powder stashes. We followed this by a day in the backountry, a day at Targhee, and a snow-shoe adventure in the park. Here are the details:
JH, First Day Runs – Tram to Rendezvous Bowl & down the Hobacks; Gondola to Thunder Lift, from there down the Grand, skiers right through the trees. Gondala to skiers left cut through the woods to mid Casper Bowl. Up Casper lift, skiers right traverse over to Moran Woods, quick side step up around a special rock which once you’re over it opens up to totally untracked goodies. From there down to Apres Vous, and up to Saratoga Bowl.
JH, Second Day Runs – Gondola to the Headwall, we bootpacked up the stairway with Julie. This was pretty tough since we were shouldering our skies, and the steepness on the way up was a bit nerve-wracking. From there we skied down the Crags, which was absolutely beautiful and filled with deep untouched snow. Tram to Rendezvous Bowl, cut left to go down North facing side of Laramie Bowl. We did this a couple of times. Also, we skied the Thunder lift and hit the mogul fields lookers right.
At the end of the day we headed to the shop Julie works in to check out the boots. When the guy went to take my liner out, my whole boot cracked in half! So, I bought a nice new pair of Atomic, a well overdue purchase.
Teton Pass, Third Day – We hiked the South side of the Pass over to Edelweiss Bowl. It was pretty easy to get there and the snow was absolutely awesome once we arrived. See pic below, our tracks are the obvious large ones lookers right of middle (not down the nose). This was probably our best backcountry day yet. The run continues down another slope making it well worth the skin in.
JH, Fourth Day – We celebrated with Nate for his 25th birthday on the slopes. Also, I got to pick up my new setup (new boots adjusted to the binding and skis). When I arrived, Weldon says… Abby, Abby, Abby… we gotta talk about these skis… then he showed me that the core of my ski is basically splitting away from the metal, which means a new ski purchase in my future.
Highlights were skiing lookers right of Expert Shutes, hiking up Pepi’s Bench to hit the top of Casper Bowl, and skiing Alta Shute #1, just to prove that we could.
Targhee, Fifth Day – Wholly crap I was tired. We didn’t even start skiing until 1pm. The temps were high and we were skiing in just a tee shirt. We did climb up the Peaked Mountain where the Cat skiing is, but once we got to the top we found out that there was a big mountain competition for teens, which prevented us from dropping into the nice North facing slope. Chris continued to hike up though and caught some nice turns down the face. I was so tired that I just sat in the snow and took a video of him coming down. After that, I was cooked. I was so tired that I had to stop while on the Cat Track to take a break!
Teton National Park, Taggert Lake, Sixth Day – We were tempted to climb up to Edelweiss again, but considering that our quads were near explosion quality the day before, we decided to head into the park to catch some views of the Tetons. We definitely lucked out on weather and views. With just a short show-shoe journey into the Taggert Lake area we got awesome views of the Grand, the Middle, Owen, and South. On the way out we drove into the Elk Refuge and saw thousands of Elk, pretty neat.
The trip was totally awesome. Every day we had great turns, lots of beers, too much red meat, and huge tired grins on our faces. I ran into lots of old ski buddy friends, which was really neat. I can’t believe they’re all still there, 5 years later for me, and 7 to 8 for most of them. It does make me wonder if I should have left at all.
Until next year Jackson Hole, I do love you.
Signing out from my white and fluffy Westin Hotel bed in San Fran - awaiting the start of another Game Developers Conference week.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Mouse in the House
I don't know that I've experienced anything as disgusting as this in a while. So, we've been having mice in the house recently. They started in the garage... no big deal. We put a trap out and caught 7 in one night. Right now, there is one hanging out in the trap, probably happily eating the peanut butter and dog food that lured it there.
A couple of nights ago, I was having a very normal Abby craving, cake. I'm mixing up the cake batter, switch the oven on, and buzzing around the kitchen with a grin on my face. As usual, for late, the oven is smoking as it is heating up, and today... it just smells worse then usual. So, in my energetic mood I open the oven and look harder than usual to see what the heck is making it stink so much.
There is a panel at the bottom of the oven with only an inch opening on either side to look into. This panel made it a feat just to look into the bottom of the oven. So, I'm kneeling down, head nearly to the floor to get a good angle, and I saw it. What looked to be a blackened, fuzzy, clump of dead mouse at the bottom of the oven.
Oh my god. I couldn't believe it. I call my dad, call my boyfriend, and the landlord to share the story. No one was around to help me, so I meander over to Cory's house (next door neighbor who is conveniently a maintenance guy). Naturally, he's disgusted but mostly laughing at me and my story. Somehow however I got him to offer his assistance to dismantle the oven.
Now we're sitting in front of the oven unscrewing the bottom panel. I'm getting nervous since I'm about to see the thing. Anyway, Cory removed the panel to reveal a black clump of burnt ashes and fur, as well as a lot of mouse poop. Gross!
The worst was over. We vacuumed out the oven, scrubbed everything down, and reassembled the oven. When I went to cook in it later (and yes I cooked in it later), there was no smell.
Moral of the story is, if you smell something or if your oven is smoking more than usual. Investigate and clean it! Otherwise, you can fantasize about the taste of smoked mouse and poop on your food.
Good night!
A couple of nights ago, I was having a very normal Abby craving, cake. I'm mixing up the cake batter, switch the oven on, and buzzing around the kitchen with a grin on my face. As usual, for late, the oven is smoking as it is heating up, and today... it just smells worse then usual. So, in my energetic mood I open the oven and look harder than usual to see what the heck is making it stink so much.
There is a panel at the bottom of the oven with only an inch opening on either side to look into. This panel made it a feat just to look into the bottom of the oven. So, I'm kneeling down, head nearly to the floor to get a good angle, and I saw it. What looked to be a blackened, fuzzy, clump of dead mouse at the bottom of the oven.
Oh my god. I couldn't believe it. I call my dad, call my boyfriend, and the landlord to share the story. No one was around to help me, so I meander over to Cory's house (next door neighbor who is conveniently a maintenance guy). Naturally, he's disgusted but mostly laughing at me and my story. Somehow however I got him to offer his assistance to dismantle the oven.
Now we're sitting in front of the oven unscrewing the bottom panel. I'm getting nervous since I'm about to see the thing. Anyway, Cory removed the panel to reveal a black clump of burnt ashes and fur, as well as a lot of mouse poop. Gross!
The worst was over. We vacuumed out the oven, scrubbed everything down, and reassembled the oven. When I went to cook in it later (and yes I cooked in it later), there was no smell.
Moral of the story is, if you smell something or if your oven is smoking more than usual. Investigate and clean it! Otherwise, you can fantasize about the taste of smoked mouse and poop on your food.
Good night!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
I saw yet another pro triathlete today!
Yet another pro triathlete has moved to Boulder! I was in the locker room this morning after my morning swim with Mike Ricci's class and I see Julie Dibens, 2 time winner of Maui Xterra! I nearly asked her if it was her, but then I heard her speak and knew that the answer was yes.
I checked out her racing schedule and first off let me say that it is brutal. She's racing every two weeks. But on a fun note, she'll be racing the 5430 Peak and Long Course! That was really cool to see since those events feel intimate since every triathlete in the Boulder area participates. Of course, the only time I might see her would be in passing prior to the race or when she laps me on the bike. But hey, I'm excited!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Dary Passed INDOC Today!!
My little brother Dary passed INDOC today! INDOC, or Indoctrination, is the first of many sessions that comprise the 2 year training program in the Air Force. Dary is training to become a PJ, who is the guy they call to jump out of a helicopter and rescue men on the ground. This was an 8 week session with weekly tests. 80+ guys started, and at this moment, 8 have passed all the tests. Another 10 have a final chance to pass the tests they failed next week.
Dary accomplished today:
- 100% on his mental test
- 6 mile run in 40:33 min. This had to be done within 44 min.
- 19 pull ups in 1 min. The goal was at least 13 pullups.
- 84 situps in 2 min. The goal was at least 75.
- 80 pushups in 2 min. The goal was at least 70.
- 4000 meters of finning (fins on and your can't use your hands) in 72 min. The goal was to do this within 80 minutes
- 50 meter swim underwater.
- Go underwater with all your gear on and tie certain knots.
Next up? He's moving on to deep sea diving class!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Race Calendar 2009
April 19, Desert RATS Trail Running, 5M Fruita
May 23, Sage Burner 25k Gunnison http://www.western.edu/sageburner/
July 12, 5430 Peak http://5430sports.com/peak.htm
Aug 9, 5430 Long Course http://5430sports.com/5430long.htm
Sept 26, Big Sur Trail Marathon http://www.envirosports.com/events/event.php?eventid=2636
Big Sur Trail Marathon
After hours of searching every race calendar on the web, Chris and I finally picked our big race of the year. I'm pretty excited to say that it will be the Big Sur Trail Marathon, on Sept 26.
Trail running is something that Chris introduced me to a couple of years ago. Prior to knowing him, I understood trails to exist for hiking, not running! Everytime we went, I had a great time... but that doesn't exactly mean that I ran the whole time :-)
I'm psyched to work on my uphill running strength. This should be a whole new challenge for me!
Watch out Chatauqua!
I saw Chrissie Wellington!
While I was pathetically at the gym to do a few push ups and situps, I walked by Simon Lessing's usual indoor cycling class and who do I see but Kona winner Chrissie Wellington!
After reading about her in every publication of Triathlon Magazine for the last year, to see her in person was awesome. She is totally ripped. After sending a note to the BTC to inform everyone of her visit to Boulder, I learned that she will be training with Simon at the FAC all summer.
I can't wait to meet her!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)