'Tis the Season

Last night was the Bike Club's annual holiday party, which also serves as our annual business meeting (and business includes election of the club's officers). Usually we have to beg people to volunteer to serve on the Board, but this year we had 2 candidates for president-- that was the only contested position on the Board of Directors. This generated a bit of drama and may have helped bring folks to the party, because the party was sold out. One of our members has a jazz band and his trio performed-- they were excellent! Another member works at a local microbrewery and he brought 2 minikegs of brew (DH seemed to go for it). And another member wrote a goofy skit that was performed-- that was good for a few laughs. The techno-dude collected over 200 photos of our biking adventures so there was a continuous slide show. Then there were prizes and awards. All of the folks who led rides for the club were entered into a contest and I was 1 of 8 who won! Our prize is a kayak tour/adventure on the Hudson River in the spring! I'm psyched-- I think that will be great fun and a great way to not spend a day on a bicycle. So it was all good. Even though there was a winner and a loser in the election, the party seemed to bring everyone together to share and remember that its just a bike club and we want to have fun! This marked the beginning of the "holiday season" celebrations, there is more to come! But this was a great way to start.

On the fitness front, my swim lessons didn't happen because I was the only person that signed up and they needed a minimum of 3 to run the class. So I decided that if I wanted to even consider a triathlon, I was just gonna have to get in the pool and start swimming. So that is what I did! I swam 20 laps (that's only 500 yards) on Saturday for the first time in I can't remember how long. And it actually felt really good! That's what I always say whenever I get in the pool. I have a few options to consider: I am going to watch the Total Immersion videotape and see if I can use that method to try to teach myself how to swim for real . I also thought of someone I can call and ask for help. And I can always take a couple of private lessons. So I still have options if I want to think triathlon in 2008. I'm still not sure. I know I should just sign up for a local triathlon right now and just do it.

A 40 Mile Ride

There are more than a few members of the cycle club that ride through the winter. So far, I haven't been one of them-- but I am rethinking that. On Friday I rode 40 miles with 5 other members of the club and it was fantastic! This particular ride shows up on the ride schedule several times during the season, but it typically features the triple challenge-- mileage, terrain and speed. This time it was scheduled as a D ride-- which means SLOW, so I decided to go for it. It was an incredibly beautiful day-- sunny blue skies, temp in the low 40s. I resisted the urge to overdress and I was perfectly comfortable during the entire ride. My toes got a little cold, but not too bad and I think I can fix that.

The ride traveled both sides of the Hudson, crossing at the Bear Mountain Bridge and coming back across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. We were able to ride through West Point Military Academy and stopped at beautiful Trophy Point. We climbed Storm King Mountain and then went screaming downhill into Cornwall. When we crossed the bridge from Newburgh to Beacon, we stopped at The Little Pie Shop where we rewarded ourselves with pipin' hot coffee and yummy pie. It felt great to be outdoors and made me realize that I can keep riding, as long as the roads are free of snow and ice and I dress properly. I have the proper gear-- bike tights, a couple of fleece tops, fleece socks, a balaclava and gloves. I felt like a real warrior. Its easy to go out for a ride in July--but you have to be a real cyclist to ride on the last day of November.

And, I signed up for swimming lessons. They need 3 people to run the class. I'm hoping its a GO. I'll find out on Wednesday.

Hanging Around the House

On Thanksgiving Day, we spent the day at my brother and SIL's house. Since they live between here and son #1's college, son #1 went to their house on Wednesday evening. That worked out well. My brother is very into digital photography and son #1 just bought himself a digital SLR, so they went out taking pictures on Thursday morning . After enjoying a spectacular Thanksgiving dinner, we all played Dance Dance Revolution and other games on the Wii. That was hilarious. I improved, but I am not very good at DDR. But I can see how some kids get addicted to it! My nieces were planning on going to bed early so they could get up before the crack of dawn for....... BLACK FRIDAY. I'm sure they were in the mall by 6 am. I am working hard at avoiding any roads that go anywhere near a major shopping destination. The truth is I really need to buy some clothes, but I can't stand the idea of fighting those crowds. Its gonna have to wait.

I am taking advantage of not shopping to take care of things around the house, and of course, spend some time at the gym. On Thursday morning DH and I did the "Pilgrim Pedal." It is a tradition at our gym-- a special 90 minute spin class on Thanksgiving morning. There is a guest instructor..... wow, talk about eye candy at the front of the spinning studio. The number of women taking spin classes would probably skyrocket if he was teaching classes on a regular basis. At the end of the class, we collected our commemorative pilgrim pedal bling-- just what we need around here-- 2 more T-shirts and water bottles! I've been using my new heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned, based on your age, HR, weight. So I sat down at the Thanksgiving table with a 570 calorie deficit! That's no excuse for eating like a pig, but I guess it's better than not having those calories in the bank.

So over the weekend, I guess I will do the usual weekend thing-- cook, laundry, gym, football. I also need to clean out my clothes closet and clean up my desk-- both things I have been avoiding. I'm also trying to contemplate "where do I want to go from here." And I'm thinking about a triathlon. More on this in future posts over the next few weeks, but if I am serious, then I need to seriously considert taking some swimming lessons and a new session is starting the week of December 3. I may take them anyway, because fitness swimming would be a wonderful activity to add to my fit life, even if I never do a triathlon. Lots to think about.... do I even have a bathing suit for the gym?

Big Pharma

Thank you Leslie and Irene for pointing to this video.

A Good Week

This week was definitely a step in the right direction. I ate better food and I got to the gym for a variety of activities. I feel better, too. Part of it is just feeling better about myself because I know I am doing the right thing, but part of it is physiological. Small changes can make a big difference in my energy level, which in turn fosters a positive attitude. So yeah, a little bit of forward momentum has me fired up!

This week also featured 2 doses of live music! I went to see Bruce Springsteen on Thursday evening, and Susan Tedeschi on Saturday night. The Boss was what I was expecting, and the man always delivers. Susan Tedeschi was much more than I expected and very exciting. She is a blues singer and a fairly accomplished guitar player. I was pleasantly surprised at her guitar skills (as an aside, her husband, Derek Trucks, is one of the best guitar players EVER). She came out wearing this spaghetti strap flapper dress and stiletto heels! She played a combination of her own music and some wonderful covers. At times, she sounded like Janis and some times, like Bonnie Raitt. Overall, it was fantastic! It was at a 1500 seat restored theatre practically around the corner, so it was easy, too. I took some photos and considering I couldn't use a flash, some of them came out great.

I'm Back

It has been a while, like 6 weeks, since I have posted. Everything is OK, but for a combination of reasons, I haven't had the time, or inclination to blog. I guess I feel like my life of late has been not just ordinary, but downright boring. But apathy born of boredom takes on a life of its own, and life becomes even more boring and less blogworthy. Blogging also keeps me accountable to myself, at the very least. So it is time to get my blogger mojo back on track.

I have been struggling with consistency on both sides of the equation-- food and fitness. I am trying to recommit and as part of that, I am trying to define some new goals. I have 2 major goals in mind, but they are probably mutually exclusive. Each one will force me to focus my fitness in different directions, so I have to pick one. Both are events that are scheduled for summer 2008, but it is not too soon to start working toward these goals. Both represent significant challenge and will require serious effort and a work/fitness ethic. More on these challenges in days to come, as I work thru this choice.

So here I am blogging during a plenary session of a conference on energy and sustainability. Did you know that 5% of the world's population lives in the US, but the US uses 25% of the world's energy? Only 7% of that comes from renewable sources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass). Another 8% is nuclear, but the remaining 83% comes from fossil fuels-- oil, natural gas and coal. The US uses 20 million barrels of oil per day! In the last 2 days I have learned about growing willow as a biomass energy crop, turning fry oil into biodiesel, how to run a "no waste" event on a college campus, and the growth of solar power in the US. As much as I am learning and enjoying this meeting, I've hit my limit of sitting and listening for the day. So I am sitting but not listening. I may have more to say about this issue and this conference, but right now it is time to duck out of the meeting and hit the fitness center.

Paintball

My gym has a hiking club which has expanded in scope-- it is now an "Outdoor Fitness Club." In addition to hiking, we have gone kayaking and today was the first Paintball Event! What an experience! Here are my observations and experiences from my first day of paintball.

1. It is not cheap, but $50 did pay for a whole day of entertainment.
2. Getting hit with a paintball hurts. In fact, I have one bruise on my calf (from friendly fire).
3. If you're not going to go for it, it's not as much fun. Make sure you purchase plenty of paintballs AND rent a camouflage jumpsuit.
4. It's a man's game. There are some women, but not many.
   
5. Fat people do not play paintball.
   
6. Testosterone definitely fuels more aggressive play-- these guys were hurling paintball hand grenades into enemy fortifications.
7. You play several squirmishes, each one on a different battlefield. I enjoyed this part of it the most, having to develop different strategies to "stay alive" on different terrain.
8. Although there were some attempts to develop a unified plan, it's mostly small "cells" heading in different directions and trying to avoid getting ambushed (e.g. almost but not quite organized chaos).
   
9. I am a fairly defensive paintballer. I ran for cover, tried to find enemy locations and waited for them to expose themselves. With all the testosterone-driven men trying to be paintball heroes, this was a good strategy. I conserved ammo and had a few good "kills."
   
10. Safety is taken VERY SERIOUSLY (as it should be). Helmets/goggles are required and if you as much as touch them while on the playing field, the refs yell at you immediately.
    
11. I don't know if this really qualified as "outdoor fitness," but it definitely go my heart pounding!
    
12. I would definitely do this again. Not next weekend, but definitely again.

Belated 50th Birthday Present

When you turn 50, you get a very special gift from your physician-- an order for a colonoscopy. I have been putting off receiving this very special gift for over a year. I finally took care of it. Let me just say that the procedure itself is nothing 'cause they put you to sleep. The prep for it, on the other hand, is horrendous. You know how people say you quickly forget the pain of childbirth and then "sign up" for another one? Well, the same is not true of colonoscopy. I won't forget the misery of colonoscopy prep, and I won't be signing up for another one any time soon. Luckily, the gastroenterologist told me I have a lovely colon, and gave me a 5 year pass.

While we're on the topic of anaesthesia, ever wonder what the doctors talk about when they put you under? I had an interesting experience when I had a C-section. I had a spinal, so I was awake, but the anaesthesiologist was talking to the other docs like I wasn't even there. He talked about what a bitch his wife was because she wouldn't let him go hunting and spent too much of his money. My doctor finally told him to quit it. Maybe it wouldn't have been any different if I had general anaesthesia because this doctor had a personality disorder, but it left me wondering whatr these docs talk about it (Maybe I'm just paranoid).

Focus

The last few weeks have been rough. A few days after my MIL's funeral, we had a toilet back-up in the house and cause a nasty little flood. That turned out to be a broken pipe between the house and the septic fields (read between the lines: big $). Once that was fixed, I went out of town for a meeting for a few days. It was actually a relief to get away from home for a bit. There were fewer events or people around me that had the potential to trigger an overwhelming feeling of sadness. And working showers and toilets 24/7.

So now I am trying to get myself focused on being ordinary, getting back into our routines. Yesterday I went down to the track and ran 4 miles. In the late afternoon I made a big pot of minestrone soup. I watched baseball and football games. I got some laundry done. Yeah, pretty ordinary. The last few weeks have been an excuse for eating whatever came my way, mostly cookies and bagels. Time to get my nutrition back in synch with what my body needs (and it ain't cookies and bagels). So this week I plan to continue getting back on track, making the time to workout, focusing on ordinary......except for the colonoscopy I have scheduled for Friday!

Eulogy

My mother-in-law died last week. The funeral was Tuesday. She was a wonderful woman. Everyone who came to the funeral knows what kind of person she was, but I couldn't stand the idea of a stranger writing and reading her eulogy. So I did it. DH spoke first and thanked some special people who made the last few months of her life much easier and more comfortable. Then I spoke about Life with M, the Mother-In-Law.

I’m sure you are all familiar with the Dr. Phil Show, maybe you’ve seen an episode featuring several women talking about their horrible in-laws, especially their mothers-in-law. At the beginning of each of these stories, there is always a video that takes you inside the lives of the involved parties, so you can have true insight into their issues and maybe judge for yourself who is at fault. Over the past few days, I have been thinking about my life with M, the mother-in-law, and those memories came together into a video that I produced in my head. I want to share with you the script for this video, which is entitled, How Lucky Can a Girl Get.

The first scene is at a Passover Seder 22 years ago, when DH first brings me home to meet his mom. We all know how awkward that can be, but somehow she finds just the right balance of reaching out to me without making me feel uncomfortable. She is constantly popping up out of her chair like a jack-in-the-box, jumping between the kitchen and the dining room. At the time, I think it is a little odd.

The next scene is shortly after DH and I were married, and M and I have a little “heart-to-heart.” So, is this the scene where she lays down the law, and tells me how she expects me to behave. Yes it is. She tells me that she considers me her daughter and to please call her “mom.” And that pretty much sets the tone for our relationship over the next 21 years.

The middle of my video is a montage of special occasions, mom’s visits to NY, our visits to Florida, and family gatherings. This part of the video features 2 little boys growing up with their nana. There are stories being told, and a surprise drawer filled with small gifts, and the sound of laughter. There are birthdays with lots and lots of ice cream. There is always a phone call before we go down to Florida to determine what small tonnage of food needs to be purchased. There are many dinners and she is still the jack-in-the-box (but by now it doesn’t seem odd). At one of these dinners, mom serves the now notorious vegetable medley. We try, but it is inedible.

In the next scene, I drive her to Newburgh to visit with her friend J. We have lunch before we leave. When we arrive, J puts this giant hero sandwich on a plate in front of her. Not wanting to offend J, she eats the entire thing, followed by (you guessed it) a huge bowl of ice cream. I sit there and snicker.

I don’t want you to think that Life with M the Mother-in-Law was totally a bed of roses. The next scene features an episode that occurred a little over a year ago. She and son #1 go shopping, and when they are done, she asks son #1, “is there a place nearby where we can buy some refreshments?” When they come home, mom is carrying a huge bucket of ice cream. I am a little angry with her, because I do not want to be tempted to eat any ice cream. So there you have the truth. I am angry because she had the nerve to bring home a bucket of ice cream. I don’t know if she senses my anger, but she resolves the issue by eating most of it.

The last scene in the video is actually a photograph that I found on my computer a few days ago. It is a picture of son #1 and son #2 with both of their grandmothers. It was taken 2 years ago when son #1, son #2 and I went down to visit them and the 5 of us had dinner together. Over the years, M’s magic reached out to so many people, including my family. My family became her family. So tell me, how lucky can a girl get.

Photos

Blogger is playing games with me! The photos I uploaded didn't "stick." Let me try again.

Elph

My new Canon Elph is small enough to put in your pocket and take along for the day. And I have been doing just that, taking pictures during my everyday adventures. I also downloaded Picasa, which is Google's answer to Flickr. It is also a complete photo management system with basic photo editing capabilities. This combination has given me the motivation to clean out (delete delete delete) and organize my photo collection. So with no particular theme or plan, here are a few photos that I have rediscovered.

On the Edge, or Ledge

On Sunday, I went hiking with my brother in Harriman State Park. We try to do this a few times a year, and neither of us had gone hiking all summer. It was a perfect day. We picked a hike that was described as "strenuous," featuring 5 climbs including Pingyp Mt. Pingyp is one of the steepest climbs in the park and a good part of it involves scrambling/climbing over a granite ledge that seemed almost vertical. OK, it wasn't El Capitan, but it was a little scary (I think my big brother was actually a little bit freaked out, more than he would admit). We didn't know this beforehand and once we started the ascent, there was no turning around. So up we went. Now pulling yourself over huge granite rocks when you are only 5 ft tall is hard work. My little legs just can't reach as far as the average person! But I never felt like I couldn't do it, I just knew I had to work harder and I wasn't too proud to crawl. So we made it, over Pingyp Mt. and 4 other climbs over 7 miles. Yay for me and big brother! but neither one of us brought a camera to document our feat. We both have digital cameras but neither one of us wanted to carry it. We both decided that in this day and age, this is truly ridiculous and that we both need to purchase smaller cameras. I didn't waste anytime, the next day I bought a Canon 850 Elph. There will be no more hikes without adequate photodocumentation (not that I would have had the nerve to reach for a camera while climbing this ledge). Here are some more pictures I found of some other hearty hikers on their way up Pingyp Mt. It gives you a little bit of the idea.
Pingyp1
Pingyp2
(are those dogs or mountain goats?)

Freecycling Has Set Me Free

A few months ago, I joined the local Freecycling group. I would check out the listings from time to time, but it was barely on my radar. Then son #1 left for college and I started the archealogical dig in his closet, unearthing his outgrown, forgotten and and generally unloved belongings. Well, thanks to freecycle, many of them are finding new homes and I couldn't be happier. This week I recycled 2 lava lamps, 2 pairs of snow boots and 4 zippered 3 ring binders. I have found this experience to be quite liberating! I am slowly beginning to find my way out from under the pile of not necessarily clutter, but accumulated belongings that fill the closets. Its easier to stick something into the closet than to 1) admit that you probably should not have bought it in the first place 2) get rid of it. Of course you could keep shoving all the somethings in a closet and then have a tag sale. We have done that and the cash in the pocket was not insignificant. But at this point in my life I can't stand looking at a vast pile of somethings that we might sell one day. It was much more satisfying to give these items to someone who can use them now and get a lovely and sincere thank you in return. Yes indeed, freecycling has set me free.

GSIU Weeks #33 and 34

Gotta Step it Up these past 2 weeks has been about finding balance and taking a few steps back. In the 2 weeks between the kids coming home from camp and son #1 going off to college, I spent time at home. I cooked meals for the 4 of us to share. I took son #1 shopping (multiple times), we went out for dinner, we went to a Yankee game, I nagged son #1 to clean out his room (I was not too successful on this one). I hemmed 3 pairs of pants, I washed and folded many loads of laundry (how many T-shirts does a college kid need?), I packed his clothes. I didn't worry about when I was going to the gym ( I didn't go) and I took off a couple of days from work to get everything done without being all stressed out. It was the right thing to do and it felt good. Son #2 will be back in school next week and I will be back at the gym and finding ways to Step it Up.

Cutting the Cord

On Saturday, DH and I deposited son #1 in his dorm room at the University of Delaware. It was a loooooong day. The traffic on I-95 was horrendous so it took us longer than expected to get there. When we finally arrived and got out of the car, it was 97 degrees. I kid you not. We carried all his belongings up 2 flights of stairs to his hot and stuffy room. His roommate (who seems like a perfectly normal friendly young man) had already arrived and gotten set up, so he and his family were able to step back and let us cram more stuff into their little room. He had to “gather” with his freshman family at 5:00, so we didn’t have a whole lot of time to help him get things together. It was probably better this way, so I didn’t have the opportunity to linger and avoid the inevitable final hug and goodbye. So at 4:55, the cord was cut. Holy shit, where has the time gone? It can’t possibly be 13 years since I had to bribe him with chocolate milk to get him out of bed on his first day of kindergarten. Or over 18 years since the obstetrician said “it’s a boy!” and I said “I know” because even though I didn’t know, I knew.

I expected to cry a good portion of the ride home, but I didn’t. The cord has been stretching tighter and gotten very frayed, so the final cut was less painful than I anticipated. But despite being exhausted when we finally got home, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking of all the things I could have done for him, but didn’t have the time, or wondering what he was doing, and just thinking about how exciting this is. And I just plain miss him. There is definitely a little hole, a piece missing somewhere in my soul. I don’ think that will ever go away, I just have to get better at dealing with it. And I know my DH is experiencing something different. As much as he loves son #1, and I’m sure misses having him around, there was no cord connecting them.

I was fine on Sunday, maybe a little tired from not getting too much sleep. In the evening, I sent an email off to him, suggesting that he put his trunk in his closet instead of under his bed. Even though the cord has been cut, I’m still his mother!

Judystock

One of the members of the bike club, Judy, has a home on a beautiful lake in nearby Putnam County. Every year she hosts a bike club event at her home. On Saturday morning, we had rides for all levels which started at the nearby middle school and ended at Judy's house. We ask for $10 and the club picks up the rest of the costs for all the food, drinks, snacks, and paper goods. This year the party fell on the same dates as the anniversary of Woodstock, and so that became the theme. We called this event Judystock. Now, the demographics of the club are definitely skewed toward the older end, so we had more than a few members who were actually at Woodstock. And those of us who were a little too young (myself included) certainly grew up with the music and the attitude. We are the Woodstock generation. So for a few hours, we listened to the music, wore tie-dyed T-shirts, played in the summer sun, and ate some good food! There was no mud and no psychodelics but nobody seemed to mind. We had fun and spent a few hours away from all our adult responsibilities. I hung around til the bitter end, helping Judy clean up and pack up all the leftovers. I took home a bag of food which fed my family that evening, so I was able to stretch out the feeling of being a free spirit for a little while longer. It left me with a laid back feeling that lasted through Sunday. I didn't rush off anywhere, not even to the gym. I spent the day taking care of things around the house, cooking, reading, and just not getting all wound up about having to get things done. It was rather pleasant!

GSIU Week #32

Week #32 brought me to Hamilton NY for a 2 day meeting. I decided to drive up there a day early and bring my bike. When I got there, I stopped at the bike shop in town and asked for some guidance in planning a ride. The owner explained that Hamilton is at the top of a valley. The roads heading north, east and west bring you into the hills. He suggested a 20 mile route that went mostly south. I told him I didn't mind hills, but he really didn't know those roads very well, anyway. I decided that I did not bring my bike 190 miles to ride a flat 20 miles. So when I got on my bike, I headed east, into the hills, with beautiful farms and vistas. I watched my heart rate climb as I climbed and then I got to enjoy the wind as I descended into town. Then I rode the flat 20 and it was a really beautiful ride and it wasn't all that flat anyway! I must admit that I had an ice cream cone when I was done, but at least I stepped it up by embracing the hills. It was a great 27 miles.

The Frittata

I belong to the Purple Dragon Food Coop. Every 2 weeks, I pick up a basket of fresh organic fruits and vegetables. This time of year, most of it is local and terrific and plentiful. So July's Local Food Challenge has been easy. In addition to using local food, I challenged myself to prepare some new foods, to dig into some cookbooks and come up with some new ways to eat all these wonderful foods, and I discovered The Frittata. I had to make a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy a skillet that could go in the oven, but it was worth the investment because I am in love with The Frittata. The first one had loads of greens like swiss chard and cilantro and fresh tomatoes and onions and wonderful salty feta cheese. The second one had roasted potatoes and then roasted vegetables like peppers and zucchini and a custard with cream cheese and then cheddar cheese and olives. It wasn't "light" but it was outrageously delicious. DH and I ate frittata for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I put a few slices in the freezer that will find their way into my lunchbag. The great thing about The Frittata is that you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand and probably any cheese, too. Change up the spices to give it a different accent. It's a vegetarian's local food dream come true. Recipes abound, just ask google and you too can come to love The Frittata.

A Note from DH

DH went out of town for a few days. He left me a little note, stuck to a package of toilet paper. It said,
"I'll miss you. Here is toilet paper for our bathroom. The newspapers go out tomorrow. Love."

What a guy. How did I ever get along in this world without him. Obviously, without toilet paper and never remembering the recycling. Seriously, one of the reasons I love him is because he is just the right mix of romantic and pragmatic.