Happy Halloween ...bambini! ...& Happy Birthday

Halloween is a very strange day for me ... its specifically associated with trick-or-treat night when I was 5 years old (dressed as Strawberry Shortcake, who else?) and being hit by a car. It was absolutely my fault. I must have thought that the 'look-both-ways-before-crossing-the-street' rule didn't apply to holidays, and I was no more patient then than I am now. The driver also didn't get the rule-change memo and Strawberry Shortcake landed in the hospital for a couple of weeks with a broken femur in traction and and a couple of months in a not-so-hot-when-you're-5 body cast. The cool part? My dad made this sweet body-sized skateboard for me surf around the house (... perhaps when he reads this he'll scan and email a photo I can post ... hint-hint). Dad - I'm really sorry you had to watch it all happen. I've since been known by some folks in my hometown as the-girl-who-was-hit-by-the-car-on-Halloween-night ... not exactly the 15-minutes of fame we all aspire for. But Halloween does remind me of how lucky I was - and am. We also like to joke in my family that it takes me being run over by a car to break a bone, despite all of the falls, crashes and collisions I've endured in various sports ... knock on wood, this has certainly been the case. So keep an eye out for those over-zealous trick-or-treaters if you're out tonight ...

Wow - my family and friends are certainly doing their part to ensure our society's positive population growth ... congratulations and welcome to:

Julie & Brett's 'Benjamin' (8/22)
Danielle & John's 'Matthew Brooks' (9/23)
Bill & Haley's 'Chloe Elizabeth' (9/27)
Josh & Gretchen's 'Jack Killian' (10/18)
Todd & Christie's 'Madison Lynn' (10/21)
Nate & Christa's 'Alexander Robert' (10/23)

Can't wait to meet all the new little people! And there's no doubt that Carol K's 'Letter Perfect' business will be in high gear supplying all the great enbroidered Turtle Fur fleece blankets for all - my very favorite baby gift to give.


A big Happy Birthday to my little sis Andrea - hope you have a good one!
& Happy Anniversary to Christie & Todd - you guys are awesome - miss and love you very much!!


Cheers!

I'll never forget my first ...

Yes, I actually had to take a picture of the result postings to believe it and have proof. Not only was yesterday my first cyclocross win, it was my first cycling win, period! So it is a pretty big deal for me. As a matter of fact, I was kind of in disbelief...mostly because it was an odd start with both the Women's A and B races starting together. The A's were to go 45 minutes, the B's only 30 (I'm a B ... see post below i.e., just started this stuff), but we all started at the line together. Combined, there were 30+ women. My startline self-talking-to (crazy, I know) went a little something like this: " ... just forget that there's multiple races here ... who cares ... do your 30 min as hard as you can and don't concede anything ... get the best start you possibly can ... and get into the top 5 by the first corner at all costs ... then, don't concede anything to anyone ... "

I did have a good start - by design (thanks to Andy Applegate @ Asheville Velosports for drilling this into us at the camp). Based on my (very) limited experience, I can't believe that there is any other single more important thing in a cross race than your start. I got to the first corner in 3rd position and passed #2 after a few corners. #1 and I toggled back and forth a few times on the 2nd lap, and I finished my 3rd lap (and therefore the end of my race) a few bike lengths behind #1, who went on to win the A's, two laps later. I really was cooked, though ... not sure I would have had the goods to hold position #2 for another two laps had I raced with the A's ... my fitness just isn't very deep yet. Nonetheless, I'm thankful for the good start, the win and the schwag that ensued.

Who needs a cash payout when you can win these sweet victory flipflops??

I absolutely love them. I will definitely be sporting these pool-side come springtime ... and maybe to a few races. Other goodies included a very cool gold cyclocross medalion (which I may very well attach to a gold chain and wear around) and a very strange hair accessory that I refuse to wear. Ever. Well, unless I dress for an 80's party, that it is -- then I would dig it.

I owe my good result to my very cool Specialized tricross with the best dialed-in fit by Wobble-naught fit doctor Jim Baldesare (even though he won't give me stickers to put on my bike), Tim and the NC CX crew who put on the 'cross clinic at this same venue a few weeks ago (giving me a heads-up on the course), JNK for lending his cx wheels so I could have wheels in the pit and peace-o-mind, and my coach JB for making sure my head was screwed on straight for the race!

The 323i has grown on me over the last couple of months. It's a great go-to-the-races car. Here you can see both my road (driver side) and 'cross bike (passenger side). The best thing about the car? The heated seats, for sure ... I believe its the best pre- and post-race therapy you can give your legs. No matter how hot out it is, I love having the heat on my legs while driving -- even if that means I have to crank up the AC. I also need to give props to John G of The Two Johns Cycling Podcast for gifting the sweet Team Sparkasse pro-issue bag to me ... and thanks to the other John for acquiescing.

Now, I know what you are thinking: What is the deal with the super-huge race number?? I'm advocating for women-specific race number sizing ... because this is rediculous. It's practically 8.5 x 11 .... we might as well pin the New York Times to our backs. I'll bet if you look closely enough you can pick it up on Google satellite imagery. Last week I tried the trick of folding over the 'promo' lines along the top and bottom and pinning on just the number - very svelte - and did I ever get the business at the start line ... little did the official know it only fired me up that much more ...

This was my favorite feature of the course ... uphill barriers. The great thing was that the barriers were mountable - more like steps, really - so I just ran up them like steps instead of trying to jump over them. No, I didn't bunny-hop them like the guy in the first photo ... not yet, at least.

Found it!

I love indian food...it's a regular in my ethnic rotation with thai and sushi. I've eaten at lots of indian restaurants - all the Taj Mahals, Jewels of India, Babas and Kashmirs you can imagine. In the last couple of years, though, I've gravitated towards mondern and fusion indian restaurants whose offerings seem to be much more simple, fresh and healthy. I love the distinctive indian spices, but can do without all of the sauces made with heavy cream and ghee. And so gone are the days of the indian food coma ...

My favorite indian restaurant in Cincinnati is Cumin - a modern indian fusion restaurant. Just fabulous -- both in atmosphere (uber hip) and food (high quality). So, when moving to Charlotte, "find replacement modern indian restaurant" was definitely on my list of things to do and was thrilled to find and try Copper - modern indian restaurant - in Charlotte's Dillworth neighborhood. I am pleased to say that it is a fine replacement for Cumin! Copper does have some standard indian fare: very good garlic naan -- delicate, not doughy and not too buttery -- and yummy mango lassies (not sure of the plural sp? of lassi ...). I had a delicious slow-broiled salmon (unusual for an indian restaurant - and no points for guessing that I would order the salmon if its on any menu!) in a pureed spiced spinach with a paneer side. And the restaurant is in a really cool house will a great al fresco dining patio. I'll be going back quite soon ...

A good read ...

Formally studying English Literature for 6 years ruined me.
The literary academia modus operandi is to completely devour as many rich, complex and significant works in as little time as possible. For example, I remember being assigned to F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' one week and Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises' the next, with a complete comparative essay on the two works and similarities/dissimilarities of the authors and their influences due the third week. I was capable, for sure, of plowing through texts and and cranking out essays ... but the thought always lingered on that I wished I had more time to really sink my teeth into the works - to really get to know the nuances and idiosyncrasies of the author, the character development and, most intruiging to me, all of the little clues of the time period and culture that the author had experienced and assimilated in his or her life. I guess that's the purpose of post-graduate studies ... and I, sometimes regrettably, opted out of that.

The result, however, is that now I can't help but take everything I read so seriously -- wondering about the background of the author, their intent, their influences. What is the message they are trying to send? Is it a gift of awareness to the reader that allows one to think outside of their own paradigm and thus sense liberation or compassion or fear? Or is it a facade of purposeful confusion and paradoxical rhetoric? I hold myself very accountable as a reader to these things - I was trained to do this - to make sure I'm getting out of the work what it is that I believe the author intended, but to also sense the potential limitations of their ability to reach and engage the reader and see their career's progression ... those who follow music and singer's careers can relate to this. As a result, for me, reading is often more work than pleasure - but always enriching, nonetheless. (And hence, I don't play nice in book clubs!)

Now I embrace the luxury of taking my time to digest a book - regardless of it's deemed literary importance - as methodically as I would like. Gone are my childhood days of reading "Superfudge" cover-to-cover, over and over again on Saturday afternoons. Now, at any given time, I have several books going at once ... enjoying just a few pages at a time to their fullest extent and giving myself a good amount of time to absorb all the little nuggets of goodness and, possibly most important, to be personally influenced.

I have 6 books on my nightstand now ... some are gifts, some I've had in my library a while with 'good intentions', some are results of self-entertainment-at-the-airport-when-there's-no-other-good-shopping-to-be-found. They are quite diverse, and I'm enjoying each of them just a little bit at a time:
1.) Blink - from the author that brought us a great ah-ha book, The Tipping Point. I'm enjoying reading and thinking through the idea that it's actually OK to believe in your instincts and initial reactions to people/places/things
2.) the curious incident of the dog in the night-time - a fictional work - unusually clever character study - very honest and observant - of a autistic teen
3.) The 21 Most Important Minutes in a Leader's Day - an empowering reminder to work on 'lifting your lids' of limitations - and letting others help you do this
4.) Breakthrough Factor - a good reminder to seek success through a life of values and principles; sage advice from an Olympic runner
5.) Paris to the Moon - A memoir of an American family's attempt at life in Paris -- complete with many anecdotes of the stereotypical and unexpected surprises
6.) The Intellectual Devotional - this concept seems kind of silly - but it's like a 'daily' history lesson ... or the reader's digest version of all of those History Channel documentaries that look so interesting but that I never have the time for. As an example, I just read a quick page about Eratosthenes (who I had never heard of before) ... the ancient Greek who discovered how to measure the circumference of the earth ... part of his solving the puzzle was to hire a professional pacer (who knew?) - who turned out to be shockingly accurate at 'pacing-off' distance compared to today's technological means. Oh yeah - his findings inspired Christopher Columbus's voyage .... so why am I just now discovering Eratosthenes??

And once I've finished these 6? Well, I have a very cool - and epic - winter project planned for myself ... more on that in a later post.

Because there really wasn't enough change in my life ...

I can't exactly pinpoint it, but at some point this summer my cycling switch was flipped. The last two years I had been perfectly content with 'just rolling along ..." , but then I moved to Charlotte. Really, there were probably lots of things in play ... not the least of which was that I was in a new place with little to no familiarity, and found the bike to be what I knew best - and a great way to learn my way around the area. Group rides became the obvious and easy way to get out and meet new people. And it was there that I heard about the great NC Cyclocross series ...

Now Cyclocross ... that's really not a version of cycling I'd ever considered before. First of all, in previous years when I was focused only on the road bike, I was quite ready and willing to hang up the wheels for a good off-season rest once the fall rolled around. Secondly, it just looked too painful, and frankly, all that obstacle-course stuff freaked me out. So when I started thinking about (possibly) competing again on the road bike in 2008, I had to come to terms with a few things ... a.) I have had no anaerobic fitness for 2 yrs; and b.) I'm not as confident with my bike handling skills as I will require of myself if I am to race again. You can see where this is going ....

So, within a matter of 6 weeks, I've acquired a smokin'-hot cyclocross bike ('08 Specialized Tricross Expert), got it dialed-in with a sweet cyclocross fit (Wobblenaught!), had several 'private' instructional skill-and-drill sessions (2JohnsCyclingPodcast), attended a brief beginners clinic, attended an intense weekend camp (Asheville Velosports), raced two practice and then two legit cyclocross races. Weird how these things develop a life of their own, isn't it?

Along the way I've had the success of meeting a few new great people and seeing some great new-to-me places. I've even been adopted by a new team - The BMW-Bianchi Women's Cycling Team- how fun!

I Love Bamboo

The move from Cincinnati to Charlotte has been a real process ... a 4-month process, to be exact. So of course I was thrilled last week when JNK closed on 656 Delta and the final moving took place. (Once you are out of college, 4-months is a really long time to be without real furnature.) When I returned Friday evening from the epic 10-day trip, I was so pleased to be welcomed by the potted bamboo that was transplanted from our urban bamboo forest in Cincinnati. Bravo to JNK for jedi-mindtricking the movers to pack and transport across state lines ... which is apparently a no-no. I love bamboo ... it makes a beautiful screen and behaves so gracefully in the wind. And have you noticed the massive bamboo-product market? From very cool floors to fences to kitchenware to clothing ... apparently bamboo is the new hemp. Who knew? Here, the potted bamboo really improves the otherwise stark apartment breezeway. And how cool are those pots? From IKEA - one of my very favorite stores. Unfortunately, being confined to the pots will probably not allow for the growth necessary for doing any Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon-type moves. Now if only I had a pet panda ...

I'm allowed to change my mind ...

It couldn't have been even a week ago that I was reading a few friends' blogs and remarking to myself that I just could never see myself posting a personal blog. (I'm much too private for this, of course ...) Not sure what changed, but over the weekend it struck me that it was a great idea. A really great idea. Perhaps it was my recent 10-day trip that included work travel to TN and PA with a weekend in OH for moving and cyclocross in between -- and all of the coordination that goes with making such things happen. Or maybe its my recent lack of effectiveness to keep my friends and family up to speed on what's going on in my world. I suspect that its also as simple as needing a place to download all the random thoughts and conversations (yes, with myself) that roll around in my head so that I can make room for more productive material.

So welcome to my blog. You'll notice it's titled My Favorite Things ... this is appropriate because on any given day I acknowledge many things as being favorites - so much so that it would make a person wonder if really I just have two categories of consideration: 1. things I don't like; 2. my favorites. I really don't spend much time thinking about anything in between. And, for the record, one of my favorite things is to rant on what I don't like ...

Speaking of My Favorite Things, I love jazz and John Coltrane is one of my favorite musicians. His take on the over-cooked song made main-stream famous by The Sound of Music is remarkably delicious. I hope you'll take the time to give it a listen.

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