pamelonian

A Thanksgiving conversation starring my parents:

Dad: I bought us a 12-pound turkey.

Mom: That won't be big enough. I like to have leftovers.

Dad: You always give away the leftovers...

Mom: That's the fun part!

My family is not big on verbal expressions of caring. We seem to prefer gestures such as gifts and bags of leftovers. My dad sometimes slips me a few extra bucks when I leave for one of my trips. Mom got her 18-pound turkey, and I have bags of leftovers in my fridge.

We had a nice holiday dinner, but my brother didn't make it. He and his "Baby Momma" got in a fight and she took the baby to her parents' house. My brother didn't feel like celebrating and none of the rest of us got to see my nephew. We had some turkey and some Spanish wine. I had some heartburn and some Rolaids. After my stomach settled we had the pumpkin pie and I went home.

So far I have biked 44 miles since Wednesday. Pretty good considering I thought the bike would be idle until March! I was riding downtown when some guy in the crosswalk commented on the beautiful weather. Then he said, "That's a good-looking bike!" I was beaming. Everyone likes to hear others think their Significant Other is good-looking!

I will be back at school. We will not be doing any real work, just sitting through In-Service. On the first day the principals all take turns going over stuff that we need to know to get by this year. I do look forward to catching up with the other teachers. We do not see each other at all over the summer. Maybe it is because I live in another town. Maybe we just like to separate our school lives from out summer lives.

Today, though, I am riding my bike and calling the bike repair shop about the replacement wheel. Then I have Kids' Aikido Class.

My last weekend of summer will be a trip to Colorado. It is an aikido weapons seminar and campout. Our national chief instructor will be there and it is always a fun time. Camping near Ft. Collins at 9000 feet should be just the thing to beat the August heat.

The Century (100-mile bike ride) is the marathon of cycling, the ultimate challenge and all that. I decided to go for it on the Pittsburg ride. I wound up taking a short cut and only going 85 miles. Total time was 7 hours, with 5 hrs 45 minutes on the bike. I had an average speed of 15 mph, unless you add in the rest stops, which brings it down to 12 mph.

My knees again were objecting most loudly. They were screaming, "You should have done the 60-mile ride!" Also the sitting on the bicycle seat was getting to me again. I may need to look into a women's-specific saddle or some bike shorts with a gel insert strategically placed.

All in all, it was a positive experience. I didn't sleep well being in a strange town in a hotel by myself. The weather was beautiful, though, and the winds were mild. 85 miles is a personal best, and I am proud of the accomplishment. There is always next year to complete a whole Century.

I was surprised at how not sore I am now after the 2-hour drive home, but then I remembered that I took 4 ibuprophen...

Even for me! I rode my bike 13 miles today under the scorching July sun. I normally like a little heat, but today was too much. It was 97 degrees and there was a wind that felt like the breath of Satan. I cut the ride short because my water was making me nauseous and I was beginning to feel light-headed. If I don't get out before 9:00 AM, I will have to wait until evening. Night riding is fun, but dangerous. In addition, the bugs are attracted to my headlight. Ew!