Bucket list October 25th San Diego!

 Always wanted to surf. 52 is just a number, Bitches!

 Getting in my zone looking at the ocean while listened to my wise 20 year old (old soul) instructor, Mike.

After half my lesson time we took a break. I was tired! I was proud of myself and calling the board my bitch!

I really enjoyed finally going to San Diego! It was a spontaneous get away with little or no planning on my part but enjoyed the adventure and every fucking moment! I was at the beach everyday I was there and especially at sunset. The small town feel, great weather and laid back atmosphere has really made me want to move there! I would appreciate being outside doing activities I love year around! That is something to plan for!

Music that instantly takes me back to my driving time around San Diego are:

Colony House "Silhouettes", Ed Sherrian "Don't". Sia "Chandelier", Clean Bandit "Rather Be" and Robert DeLong "Long Way Down". Honestly they were always on the radio and playing in the bars along the boardwalk so they are as much a part of my trip and enjoy the "Flashback" to the peace and happiness I felt inside myself on this trip. 

The surfing was "bucket list" and cant wait to do it again. Renting a hybrid bike and biking along the ocean and Mission Bay was so rewarding and beautiful it squeezes my heart to think about.

Creative nerd alert!

here is in-box, card and paper

Well, I am excited to tell you that the local artist I heart and sparked my first Mod Podge project has invited me to her studio! I found a card she made at Crafty Wonderland (Downtown at the Street Car stop just across from the Library) a week or more ago. I loved all her work on display but got a card that I love just to have. After I had the card I picked up and interesting shaped but ugly "in box" at the "Swap Shop" at work. I think I have mentioned this little rack before. You can leave or take anything left at the "SS" for work OR home. That is when it started clicking in my creative! I wanted to use the card and maybe a second along with some interesting handmade paper to cover the ugly in box for my desk at home! Last week (Wed June 20th) when I went to Ace, Blick, Powells and Paper Source that was what I was up to! I found her online store and blog on the internet. I want to buy in all but we all know that can't happen. I was looking for another card to complement the one I have and the paper I bought. I messaged her and asked if this one and that would go together and I love this and how much is that sale one. . . .. I told Hadley what I was doing and strictly for home use - not resale. So I got an email asking if I wanted to come to her studio. I hope it works to go tomorrow on my only day off this week. She has not replied back yet. I am very excited to meet her and see all of her pieces!

I have taken extra days and extra hours to days I have shifts for the next week or more. I have a three day weekend right after 4th of July. The Gem Faire and Bead show is Friday the 6th. The 7th and 8th are my weekend off so I get a mini vacation! I am planning to go over to my parents on Saturday and maybe Sunday to work on projects. There is a community room at the apartment where I could spread out to work but I would have to guard my projects! Much easier to work at my parents in the back yard and take Abby.  

It has been two weeks to the day since my inner Diva gave me the mental Cher movie slap. It was a good thing and about bloody time! I have been feeling the positive and working the positive! I am eating right and not feeling the cravings. I cut out sugar, chocolate, wine and fatty/ salty foods. I eat sensibly but not on a diet. Just back to the usual Diva. I am feeling so good about things! I bike at least every other day and take Abby to dog park or long walk the other. I am pleased with myself and how well it is working out!

Don't give in to things that will break you

I have really thought a lot about this in the last year.  I am not in the right profession! Most of the folks I work with are conformed to the main stream way of thinking, acting and looking. They have no creative ways and buy beige couches for their over priced beige houses! Republican homophobs that can't imagine stepping "out of the box". They care what the" Jones" think and what they are doing - very nosy!  I guess they think too much with one side of their brain and are afraid of sticking out or being unique. Reminds me of high school in that you want to fit in and be cool.  I need to be comfortable in my work environment and the people around me. That is not the case in 2 put of 3 places I have worked.Of course I am referring to the majority but it wears on me. Just mentioning a TV show I liked in passing brought on a majority lecture (four people ganging up on me and telling me not to watch the show.) about why I should not watch it and how ridiculous the story was. The show is "True Blood".  Last time I checked this was a free speech
country. My TV my enjoyment, right? I don't like being censored about something I choose to do especially by persons that have no authority over my person.

I think the one of my bigger problems at the moment is the lack of
professional respect at my current workplace that has me so peeved. It
reminds me of Junior High all over again. The phrase "you don't have to
like me to treat me with respect" does not apply. It is almost like I am living one of those bad reality shows from TV! The other phrase I hear all to often is "that is not part of my job". As far as I am lead to believe is we are "all" on the same team so it is part of your job!
 

Now that I am done with that rant I can move on to the rest of what is bugging me because of my job. I have let the toxic bad vibe of this work place get to me. Well, between that and perimeno I think I just let go of my goodness and personal respect and "turned to the dark side".  What I mean by that is my up beat attitude seems to have left me. I have not been able to bike as much mostly because of the weather and family stuff. Worse I have not gone as often as I could of but chose instead to be a couch potato. I have let myself down by not exercising and eating poorly. This is not the behavior of a Diva! I have actually given myself a lot of grief over my "letting go". Abby goes along with whatever but I am sure she would like more outdoor/play time. I have had a lot of changes since Kel and and Abby moved in a week apart from each other in February. My time is not my own and I have had to make comprises with another person moving into our small apartment.  I made a firm, stick-to-it decision for myself last Monday. There will be no more of this behavior and attitude! BBB will be used more often and eating a much better diet! You will hear more and the plan but I wanted to post so it isn't just me knowing I have master plan.

Wild life Day

Yesterday was "Weird Wildlife Day" in My World. First thing out of bed Abby is a goofball but that is not part of the story just a side note. We get
downstairs (in the parking area) for Abby to do her morning biz. She likes to pee one place then go through the bushes to the open green space between the two buildings to finish up. Anyway, we are slowly walking to and through the bushes when I hear a quick rustling in the under brush. I figured a squirrel saw us coming and scrammed. As we come into the clearing the squirrel runs up the tree and stops about 7 feet up. He is making that "chee chee" noise they make when they are pissed and twitching his bushy tail. The weird thing is instead of bounding away he positions himself on the trunk of this tree with his front aimed at me like he might make a leap at me! Both Abby and I just stood there looking and thinking "wha?" That is just too much for me to process straight out of bed and before coffee! We had a stand off for a short bit then I made the bold move to walk by to our destination. Maybe not the smartest move but it was better than being bitched out and intimidated. I did fear that he would jump on me and start biting me like a crazed vampire squirrel.

The second part of Wildlife Day happened on my bike ride before work. I was biking on the "Stillwater Corridor" multi-use path where it runs along the Willamette River on the East side of town. The path runs from the Ross Island Cement Plant to just past and behind Oaks Park. Before you get to Oaks there is a wetlands area that has a path that branches off the multi-use path, winds through the wetland and ends in the neighborhood of Sellwood. For a good mile the multi-use path is on the old train track and truss so it is above the river and above the wetlands with ground sloping away on both sides. There is working train tracks that runs parallel to the path on the wetlands side but there is fences on both sides. Anyway, It was a sunny but not very warm day. I was enjoying the semi-quiet, the sun on my face, the birds chirping and the good feeling of being on my bike. I was nearing my turn around point behind Oaks when a full grown fawn (that is what you call a female deer, right?) Came up from the river and stopped on the path. She saw the fence impeding her way to the wetlands and stopped in her tracks. I was about 20 feet away from her. I stopped and was slowly reaching for my mobile to use the camera feature. She was bigger than the frame of my bike (17.5) more like a pony in size. I have seen deer before but not in the city like that! It was pretty cool. A bike coming the other way did not stop and spooked the deer. I guess we were all lucky that the deer turned and went back the way it came. They are very powerful especially when scared. One of us could have gotten hurt.

Piece of mind

This winter was fairly dry but cold early on. I was able to bike a good amount. Since mid January it has been exceedingly wet and cold! We had snow in April!  Add to that my many life changes and I have not been on my bike much. I am trying to tweak my daily routine as well as my obligations so I can fit in my rides again. It is extremely important to my all around well being. I have been able to get in a ride at least once a week but I really need more. I have to find a better balance of ride/work/Abby and family. I hope to carve in project time too. Working the mid shift has been a harder adjustment than I thought it would be.

Currently I start work at 11am so it leaves little time in the morning. If I ride I don't spend time with Abby until after work. I have tried to go to bed earlier and get up earlier but it is an adjustment. I really like my Abby morning routine. I get up and go through our 5 minute greeting of petting, jumping, silly noises and kisses after which I grind the beans to start the coffee. Next we go outside for Abby to do her thing. When we get back upstairs is where the silly begins. She likes to dash into the apartment and run down the hall to the bedrooms. She then dashes back by the living room window where her dog bed and toys are kept. She will grab one and will usually run back at me to greet me still taking off my coat and putting away her leash by the door before she dashes back down the hall to Wil's closed bedroom door. She will stop and listen at the door, play with her toy briefly before running back up the hall and onto the couch to meet me or beat me to it. I used to think that she was hoping Wil would magically appear when she ran to his door but now I think it is to make sure he/they are still asleep so she can have me all to herself. After I change from shoes to slippers and grab the coffeepot we settle on the couch for a few cups of coffee and TV. She does not like it when the routine is changed. She used to jump up and greet anyone that finally woke up but now she (who is usually dozing or asleep) will snug in closer to me. Yup, she is my silly girl. I love my bike ride but would really miss that.

I LOVE DAYS OFF!

I have had a Super Sunday! I got to spend many hours walking and riding the rails (mass transit) through my beloved biking route with my best friend. DJ did not bring a bike. I wanted to share with him the interest, layers, architecture and beauty I see almost every day when I bike from home. Today was an insanely nice day! Very little wind, sunshine and 60something temps. We just don't get this crazy beautiful weather in the Pacific NW in February! We walked along the water front, up the stairs to a few of the 7 bridges attached to Downtown, rode the MAX across and walked along the Esplanade. We had a great time joking, speaking our combo of accents and short hand silly and sharing excellent camera shot ideas. We got soooo many wonderful shots! I hope to share some of both of our shots soon.

My frustration is my digital camera. It is 8-9 years old which is fine. The problem is my computer is much newer so it cant "speak" to my camera. Same with my printer. My new printer is the same brand as the old but the newer version. I got the old one around the same time as camera. I used to plug the memory card into the old printer and it would transfer my photos to the computer. The new version does not have the right size port. What I have to do now is take it to an office or print store and have them burn my photos to disk. The biggest frustrations are I can no longer delete single photos (camera is losing it and wont let me) and it is getting harder to find someplace to burn them to disk! I tried going to the print store after Super Bowl half time show. By the time I got up there and tried working with the employee it was too late on a Sunday to get to the office store. I stopped at Moon Struck Chocolate and used the last of my Christmas present from my Auntie BFF. Chocolate good.

Feeling more like Diva again

As I walked to my break (at work) today I was feeling more like myself than I have in awhile. My legs feel strong, I have more energy and the personal routine is helping get "Me" back on track. I looked at my Google Calender and noted that it has been 2 weeks to the day since my last "period". So far I don't feel "the nasty" coming on so YEAH! I even broke out the Crock Pot Monday night. I have not been cooking much but eating frozen meals at work. I wanted to change that so I hit TJ after work for meats, veggies and other assorted things. I made "Steak tip" stew that was delish! Wil dislikes stew beef so I got a better cut of meat for cooking. I got a serving yesterday for work lunch and today but Wil demolished the rest! I also bought chicken, yellow curry sauce and veggies to make a dish to go over rice. Wil might be making that now since the stew is gone. I might even make pizza tomorrow on my day off.

I went biking again today. It was short but I wanted to get out there in the "some" sunshine. It is supposed to be rainy for most of my day off but that is fine. I have home organizing projects to keep me busy. If the rain let's up by the afternoon I will bike. I think I will take my camera with me. I am most excited that I ended up with 5 (working) days AND a weekend! It is supposed to be sunny and 50! I am a happy Diva.

Lucky Sunshine

As I looked out my window this morning I was thrilled! I hoped for minimal rain for my ride but got bursts of sunshine instead! As I started out on my ride this song came into my head. I added some words of my own but it rawks! Enjoy


Oh what a beautiful morning (to take a bike ride in the sunshine),

oh what a beautiful day(to be out in my neighborhood on my bike),

I have a wonderful feeling('cause I am exercising in the fresh air),

everything's going my way! (now that the "big bads" are put in their place and I am not so stressed!)

Bike today and then again tomorrow!

Today I finally got to go on a bike ride. I have not been able to go of late with the pouring rains that caused flooding. Understand that I will ride in the rain (I live in the Pacific NW!) but a driving rain with close to freezing temperature and wind to boot is a no-can-do-situation for this Diva. It is too hard on the body. I have most of the proper gear but not all. I have a good over coat but it does end up soaked through in a good downpour. I don't have a full helmet (has sizable vent holes) or a rain cover for the helmet so my head can get dripping wet. All in all I do pretty well and certainly not complaining. It is my "therapy" of my choice.

Today I was still tired but need to get back with my personal schedule. Biking in the mornings before work and as I can on my days off. The weather has not been the only factor in not being on my biking schedule. Most of January has been family matters, lawyer stuff (which was beyond stressful- jury trial!) , peri-meno making me soooooo tired and having way too many periods in short order! I have been sleeping up to 12 hours-WHAT! I just want to get back to my personal schedule since it also gives me more energy and fights the evil peri-meno! I also have more time and energy for the creative and isn't that what its all about for this Diva?

I am very proud of myself for going on my ride this morning. It was starting to rain lightly but I made myself go. I am so glad I did! I started to head my usual route but a freight train was blocking my path. It was long and at that moment blocking the city street and stopped. I will sometimes ride back and forth (a long route) where I can see "what's the 'haps". This looked like a long dilemma so I headed off towards the industrial area but some what along the river I love. I ducked onto water front paths I have not explored before. I really enjoyed my tour and even went over a street viaduct I had not gone over before. It was the only way to get back on my side of the tracks and get to work. It was a relaxing and happy ride especially with a wandering mind. It was just what I needed.

I look outside now and feel especially smart that I went in the gentle rain earlier. It is raining hard, very wet and blustery. Yeah Me. Here is hoping tomorrow is just as good for a repeat!

Not so bad

The car news was not so bad. I was told the gasket was to be $75 installed. They found a few more things that go hand in hand with it but I kinda expected that. All in all the total for all the repairs, parts and cleaning up the leaked oil all over the engine is . . . . . $102! It runs soooo much better now! I am so sorry I neglected you Ethyl MeRM! It all took 1 1/2 hours in which I hung out and read my book and made some phone calls.

I took a shortened bike ride when I got back. It is 33 outside and a bit blustery but that did not bother me. It has snowed off and on all day but not sticking. When I was biking a cross between snow/rain and soft ice started coming down. I did not want to get soaked so I turned around. It was nice to get out. Now I am in my flannel jams watching the snow fall and a movie. A better day off than I thought I would have. Looking up!

2012 New Year in My World

On my first bike ride of the New Year I was thinking about what "this year" would be in My World. I really like the year 2011 and what it represented and not sure I wanted to let it go. ("2011 the Year of the Creative Moo - the Perfect Brainstorm" obsessive oblectation oligomania) Ideas were bouncing around as I pedaled along. I have the basic idea of the 2012 "Year" but it is not complete. Maybe I will throw it out there and get your feed back.

"2012 CreaDiva - Hell on Wheels" Hot ideas burning down the road of creativity.
cranking creating collaborating

I do get ideas and solve project problems (and other problems) while "burning down the road". Sometimes I solve them because I went on a ride. I get out of my head but at the same time zone into my thoughts. Anyone who knows me or reads my thoughts (should) know my bike time (on "BBB") is very important to me for many reasons. That is why I am trying to combine the creative, biking and Diva (Me and my sewing machine "DivaDo")

Brain Storm me!

Here I am!

Okay, I have been crazy busy. I have been working 97 hours or more every 2 weeks. My days off are random and jam packed. As I typed earlier I don't have time in my daily schedule! I get up, drink my coffee and eat a bit of something, change, stretch and hit the road on my bike by 10am at the latest. When I get back I stretch, shower and get to work. When I get home from work at night I plan my biking and work clothes for the next day and lay them out, make lunch, fix my coffee sans ground beans, do laundry and other tasks and get to bed by 11pm. I hate to be tired especially if I am working many days in a row so I make sure I get my sleep. I know this crazy schedule wont last forever and the beefy paychecks are helping me catch up after the months off of work. I have also bought a few Christmas presents as I figured out what I really wanted to get folks. Okay, so I don't have much of a life but I am taking care of business!

I had Monday off so I was going over to sew the awesome coat with my mom. I suspected things might get d-railed when we were starting at Costco. I had no idea. I knew my dad has been anxious about my eyes and my brother Mike. My dad was diagnosed and treated for Macular (wet) eye disorder earlier this year.(it can make your vision dim and eventually you can go blind) My Brother Mike was diagnosed last week. I have not had my eyes checked since the last glasses my mom got me for my birthday 2009. As we walking in my dad looked over at the eye glasses department. I told him I was thinking of looking at glasses and get my eyes checked. He beamed and said "No problem, Kid - take your time" It made for a long Costco visit. The short of it I am a clean bill of eye health but needed a stronger mid and low level prescription to my Progressives (the reading) so I picked out new frames. More later.

We had a snag in the sewing of the awesome coat. My shrinking and a generous pattern slowed our progress. We also had trouble finding the trim that goes all around the edges of the coat since it is not lined. After much asking and several fabric stores we have it. Sunday should finish it and not soon enough! It has got nippy here!

The car accident I had late in the year in 2008 has mostly (finally) been settled. Cant quite talk about it yet but that was most of my Tuesday off. Sunday is the next day off after a double shift Saturday. Good times. So there you go. Back dated posts to come but I don't know when.

Sorry for ther internet silence

You asked for an update to my internet silence so here we go! I had to bring my computer to work with me and use a word processor to get this done. If I did not have e-mail access on my phone I would not know what was going on! I really don’t have time to be on the computer at home these days. I get up in the morning and have my coffee and breakfast, bike, shower and head to work. When I get home from work I get things ready for the next day and do tasks like laundry and then go to bed. I don’t stay up late or I don’t have time for my bike ride. I have to have my bike ride! The biking is very important to my mental health and dealing with the ever present nasty hormones so I have been faithful with that daily even if it is only a 30 minute ride but it is usually longer. I am excited to note that I am back in scrub tops I have not fit into for about a year and my scrub pants are loose! The seat and thighs have always fit snug and sometimes the waist but now loose all the way around! I feel things going differently as far as the peri-meno. I went almost 2 months without a period. The hormones are fluctuating. Sometimes I feel “normal” but I think the biking is helping greatly as well.


As for work, I am on day 4 of a 10 day stretch of work days. I need to catch up on bills and figure the opportunity for OT may go away at some point so I am doing it while I can. It can get a little frustrating for me when Wil does not keep on his house duty of the Kitchen. I don’t have time and it is the only common area chore the kid has so come on! The new job is okay. I could do without some of the people. I will leave it at that. I really like the ability to take care of myself financially but really wish my job had creative outlet and more team players.

“Ages Three and up”
On my day off the last week in September I went biking on a beautiful Fall afternoon. The sun was shining and it was nice out but not too warm. It was my day off so I wanted to go on a bit longer ride than I usually have time for. I was adding miles by circling through the Oaks Park parking lots before heading back towards home. I was cruising along enjoying the river, the smell of fall, the feel of sunshine when a used “Sticky Hand” toy glommed onto my new awesome front bike tire and “WHAM” I went down! I was pissed! Don’t parents understand the reason (besides choking hazard) why there is a warning label on small toys?!? It was discarded in a pile of leaves all wadded up. I ran over it and it “stuck” onto the side of my tire but enough in the tread that it made me crash. Since I was almost 7 miles from home I popped right back up and started riding towards home. I did not want to stiffen up. I was pretty lucky in my minimal injuries but my bike mirror is not so lucky. The holder is fine but the mirror has several cracks in it. They cost a lot more these days than they used so but have been told a nice trick to get by. I just need time to go to a hardware or auto parts store . . .

As soon as work simmers down I would like to get back into doing social events and concerts. I joined a social group site called “Meet up” and selected a few groups to belong to. I am trying to find that balance, still. I also have some DIY projects that got put on hold through to whole hiring and getting started in the job process.

DIY and crafty too
I finally got the curtain rods and hardware to finish the awesome Asian screen! They were on back order for 2 months so that really put my project on hold! The frame is in my place but the fabric is not touched yet. My parents have been out of town but they are back now. My long stretch of work days is almost complete so I hope to find my creative soon.


My mom is going to help me make an awesome coat - well 2 of them. I was looking for a coat pattern to make a fabulous red cashmere coat. I just cant find any the last 2 years that I like and that fit me. My mom helped me look at patterns and see what I can make with her help. Her idea was to make an inexpensive coat with the pattern first to get a feel for the pattern before investing in cashmere. I am excited by the fabric I got for coat one! I will add photo of fabric and pattern later. I still have two purses I was going to make then the whole unemployment thing took some of the wind out of my sails . . . . Finding it now. I have the pattern, the fabric and all just waiting for me to get busy!

My mom said when she was in SF recently she was really paying attention to fashion after our time at the fabric store. My parents walked through Nordstrom since they stroll through the Downtown one a lot. She said they dress a lot nicer in SF. There was a lot of clothes in the Nordys there that we don’t have here. Are we getting too Northwest Wilderness attire here? TTFN

Wheels on fire rolling down the road

I have to admit that my mood and energy is so much better when I cycle as often as possible. I think clearly, calmly and am generally more productive. My moods are a lot lighter than when I was working under great stress. No crying at the drop of a hat. Some of that was the peri meno but I think the stress was more than even I knew. The unemployment does weigh on the positive I want to feel. The three days in a row rain was tedious to the eyes and the mood - and lack of exercise. I even drove to Oaks to skate on Thursday and it was closed! "Leverage" was filming in the roller rink. That really pissed me off. The closer I got to the rink the more excited I got to skate and then wham. I stood there stewing for several minutes then trudged back through the rain to my car. Not cool.

I went out yesterday and really biked like the hounds of hell were chasing me! The last few rides have been stronger and faster than I have biked ever. It is strange because in my 30's I biked the a same strong speed like clock work. I did ride longer rides then since I had the time but never rode faster. In the older, bigger out-of-shapeness I am in currently you would not think I would be riding faster than ever. Puzzling (yes) but not complaining. I adore muscle memory (heart it in fact) and the feeling of a good workout. I hope the Spring weather dries out so I can "hit the road" more often. I need to paint flames on my bike or get new ink. Tough to choose.

Happy Winter!

Today there was no rain to excuse me from exercise. I have not gone biking for 3 months! I was sick for soooo long and then tired everyday for days! I am glad I went but boy it was cold! I do have all the winter riding gear so that works well. My bottom is not used to riding . . . at 7 miles my backside was done but the rest of me was a couple miles from home. I did not ride as fast or as far as usual but it felt good to be out. Biking oh how I have missed you!

It's snowing! I know it wont stick but I do love watching it snow. The bridge is almost obscured by the snowfall. It makes it feel even more like Christmastime. I have decorations up and even got all the boxes back in the storage unit. I like having it decorated and tidy. I cant believe that it is less than a week until Christmas! Happy Holiday to all!

You never know what is coming

I'm pretty psyched today! My period is two weeks early. Do you know what that means?!? I am on the final descent into barren town! I have actually been cold and needed a jacket or something of late. I know I'm not there yet but am very proud of myself and learning some zen-like techniques on coping with the emotional roller coaster. Being able to bike has really helped tremendously! Not only the weight loss and muscle tone but it truly takes the anxiety edge away. The final thing I have to do is go inward and talk and breath myself through some intense emotions. I have learned to keep them in and let them rage to fizzle out but not spew forward at people. My hope in (over) sharing my experiences it might help another.

Go forward and enjoy! I'm going to bike instead of clean (again)

Could I be obsessed?

I don't seem to have the time to type these days as I am either at work, biking or sleeping. Now that I can bike again (mostly pain free) I seem to head out every morning. The apartment is in need of a good vacuum job, and the kitchen is cleaned . . . to a young mans standard but I just cant stop myself! The weather was supposed to get way hot so I figured I would keep biking until the morning came when it was too warm from the start. So far that has not happened. I have seen some interesting things everyday on my bike rides. It would be wonderful if I could dictate to something or somebody while I biked. I'm not sure to what or whom but you would hear a lot more from me. The stories would be fun. Anyway, last week on the dock (across from downtown on the SE side) I saw a lesbian couple get engaged - velvet-like ring box and all. It was very cute but since I was almost home and had to get to work I did not stop to see the rest unfold. I Biked along side a retired couple from San Diego. They were here on Vacation and brought their folding Bike Friday bikes to see the sights. We chatted for a couple of miles before they turned around to head back downtown.

I love how the same path along the river can be a very different vibe depending on the day and time of day. Early in the morning it can be quiet and semi-deserted. It is really nice to hear the birds and quiet. Middle of the day can get crowded especially around OMSI with lunch walkers, runners and innocent families about to get mowed over by hard core bikers! I LOVE my urban lifestyle and cant imagine the quiet suburban life again. I do want a house but not far from the city center. I LOVE MY NEIGHBORHOOD!!!!

I thought about this post-in-progress while I was biking today. I'm not so much obsessed as I am thrilled to be exercising (esp biking) again. The feeling of muscles working and the energy it gives me from exercising is better than any drug I can dole out at work. I miss skating tremendously but it not not okay yet. I don't even know if my pads fit into my skates. I know it seems not me to follow the rules but seriously I have used at least three of my nine lives in the last couple of years. Who knows how any before that. I don't want to make things worse by ignoring the obvious. I need my feet, duh!

Today was the day it got hot. I got back from a 14 mile ride at 12:20 and it was already 88 degrees. I think 6 days in a row is great. Tomorrow is my day off but I have plenty to do. I have givien myself two days off and I will hopefully bike on my next day off, Thursday or Friday after day shift.

For those not on Facebook I invite you to join a group from work including others not from work to see the new Harry Potter in IMAX. We are going to Bridgeport this Thursday at 19:00. We bought our tickets online and will be in line starting 18:00ish.

I want to ride my Bicycle; I want to ride it where I like

I went for a "sprint" ride yesterday. A sprint ride is a ride where I don't have much time but want a workout. It is amazing what you can get done in 30-40 minutes! I will ride hard knowing I am in my neighborhood zig zagging so that when my time is up I'm not far away from home. The streets are my gym. Yeah, I know I'm not supposed to ride on the streets. I am really trying not to like Doc asked. I pick times of day and side streets to be safer. I just think it's silly to strap your bike to your car and drive somewhere in order to exercise! I have my bike rack to take my bike with me out-of-town not cross town.



Today I got up wanting a longer ride before work. I went across the Broadway Bridge to the Esplanade that joins up with the Still Water Corridor. That is the path I would ride to Derby practice since it goes right behind Oaks Park and the Hanger. It also leads to SE Portland and intersects with the 205 path. The day was beautiful and not too hot yet at 11:20am. When I got to the part of the path under the Hawthorne Bridge (before OMSI) there were lots of people in stupid yellow shirts. It was for an event called "Walk and Roll". Mommies pushing their babies and having pause times to to muscle strengthening exercises. Anyway, this multi-use path is normally very busy but you get a bunch of suburban mommies out in the big city? They had no idea that this was a well traveled path and they should follow the "rules of the road". On the way out it was not too bad. I could have hit a few folks that didn't even look before crossing the path from the Dragon Boat parking lot to sit on the Vera Katz resting (?) area. The way back is where I kinda blew a fuse.


I was happy to see the crowd had dispersed from the parking lot. My happiness was short lived. I was almost to the Burnside Bridge where the ramp leads down to the floating dock before going back up to the intersection where you can cross the Steel Bridge to Water Front Park side or head up to The street by the Rose Quarter. They were blocking the whole path heading their way. Runners and dog walkers were being mowed over. I politely asked if I could pass but the crowd including supporting husbands and Grand Parents were so chatty and exuberant they did not hear me to let me through.That pissed me off! I saw the solid wall of stipid yellow t-shirts and snapped. I biked over to the stairs that lead up to the Burnside Bridge and proceeded to carry my not so light bike up six or seven flights of stairs. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack by the time I got to the top. I sure showed them. BTW one of the companies sponsoring this ridiculous event? Ken's companies logo was on the back of the stupid shirts. I tried to call him on my way to work. As if he knew why I was calling (to bitch) he declined to answer. Smart man.