It must be Windows

The post I published just minutes ago gave me no end of trouble in formatting. I am a Mac girl. WordPress must be controlled by Microsoft. Or some other evil entity…

I have a confession to make

Hello, my name is Heidi, and I have a cycling jersey problem.

After The Masher purchase/ride, this will come as no surprise to any of my readers. All three of you…thank you!

I discovered today that Twin Six has posted their 2012 previews for both men and women. Usually I really like something offered for the guys that isn’t also available for gals, but not this time. In fact, this time I like the guys’ stuff, but love the gals’ jerseys. There is one I must have, mostly because it is incredibly sassy:

The Vixen - back

The Vixen - front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, of course, I also really like The Schoolgirl:

The Schoolgirl - back

The Schoolgirl -front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just love that little touch of plaid on the back pockets. Speaking of pockets, the T6 pockets are awesome! The jerseys I have all have three sections in the pockets, and the elastic at the top is just snug enough that you don’t have to worry about stuff falling out, even when you cram the pockets full.

No, I don’t work for Twin Six… although I bet they’re pretty cool/fun people to work with.

Finally, I may need to get the 2012 version of The Masher, because it is as awesome as the 2009 one that I have:

The 2012 Masher - back

The 2012 Masher - front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I might even like this one better than the 2009, which is saying a lot. The Masher I have is my favorite jersey, although last year’s Team Fatty is a close second. I just love the lightning bolts on the 2012! Awesome, and sassy again.

Hmmm, I detect a theme here…

I also like the Speedy Milan, but I couldn’t wear it. I am a terrible liar, and that would just plain be a lie, because I am not speedy. I am built for comfort, not speed.

There is one of the older jerseys that I have wanted for a while, too: The Bird from 2011. That teal-ish color is one of my favorites, and I like the more delicate design. It’s out of stock, and I’m not sure whether I should hope that they have it again. That’s $300 worth of jerseys so far!

Have I mentioned that I don’t have a full-time teaching position, and I’m substitute teaching until I find one? Not a great income, by any stretch of the imagination.

Yeah, well. At least they don’t come out for a while, and they will be available for quite awhile. Maybe that’s how I should celebrate when I finally get a full-time teaching job…

Next week’s ride…the ultimate combination

Thanks to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and their wonderful publication of Wisconsin events, I am doing a group ride next Saturday. I must do this ride, for so many reasons. Take a look:

photo courtesy of Trek

Yes, you read that correctly – photo courtesy of Trek, as in Trek bicycles. Their high end bikes are made in Waterloo, WI, which is approximately two hours drive from here. The ride is called the Chocolate Chase, and as they say,’What’s not to love about this ride?!’

There are a few reasons I want to do this ride, some more obvious than others:

1. Chocolate. This is the most obvious reason I would drive two hours for a 20 mile ride (I usually ride much further than 20 miles if I drive that far to get there). I love chocolate. This ride has chocolate at every rest stop. mmmmm, chocolate. As Andy would say, ‘I will ride for chocolate.’ Yup, me too!

2. The fees/donations from this ride benefit Gilda’s Club and a group called Team Survivor Madison. Both are cancer support groups, for anyone affected by cancer. This includes families and friends of cancer survivors, as well as cancer patients and survivors. Gilda’s Clubs were formed in honor of Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer. Gilda was a fighter, but ovarian cancer is commonly known as a ‘silent killer’, because by the time it is detected, the disease is often too advanced to treat effectively.

When I was not quite twenty-three years old, I was diagnosed with stage 1a ovarian cancer. At such an early stage, removal of the tumor is the only treatment required or suggested. I was blessed. One of my doctors called me her miracle girl: not only was I very young to have ovarian cancer, it was also caught very early, so I was still able to have children.

I would have benefited from the kind of contact offered in groups like Gilda’s Club, and helping with funding for their free services is a form of paying it forward to me. A cause dear to my heart.

3. Driving two hours to do a ride that will take less time than the drive did is crazy enough to really appeal to me. I also talked Suzanne into doing it with me, so I will have my best biking buddy along to enjoy the ride and chocolate.

Next March will be my twentieth anniversary of being free of cancer. I hope that the people who benefit from my registration fee will be able to say the same someday.

I can’t deny the mental benefits of chocolate, either…

The best laid plans…

I started this post a couple of days ago, then didn’t finish. Even though it describes Tuesday, I’m still going to post it, because it totally sums up my typical style. What a weirdo…

I did end up going for a ride, albeit 14 miles instead of the 22 I had planned. I didn’t leave the house until 7PM, and as I left I realized that even if I rode at a fairly good pace, I could potentially be riding on a bad road at a dangerous time. You know the time: just at dusk, when the light is beginning to fade, and it’s hard for drivers to see cyclists. I didn’t wish to add a car/cycle accident to my list of adventures, so I took a shorter route. Here is my pre-ride post…

It is Tuesday, which prior to teaching certification was “shirk your responsibilities day,” with Amy. Since it’s summer vacation, we have been able to shirk a few times, and we had plans to do some quilting for today. That isn’t the problem: the plans for quilting didn’t change. I told Amy last night that I wanted to go for a ride this morning, so she was coming over this afternoon instead.

I should know better.

I don’t particularly enjoy riding in the morning, and today was no different. I ate breakfast, had coffee, and checked my e-mail. I had plenty of time to go for my usual 22 mile ride, take a shower, and be presentable by the time she got here. Right. So did I?

No, of course not. That would have made too much sense, and it would have taken advantage of the beautiful weather. I thought I could go for a ride tonight instead, as long as I leave by about 6:30 (I always try to leave plenty of time in case of a flat, bad weather, swarm of locusts, whatever)…

What a dork.

Done!

Last night I finished my final student teaching class. I handed in my portfolio (ack! putting that together was a major suckfest), filled out and turned in all the paperwork, applied for a license, and wrote a check. Woo hoo! I am glad to be done, and soon will have the piece of paper to say that I am officially a teacher. An unemployed teacher, but a teacher nonetheless.

I have a whole litany of posts to write, but they may not be in sequential order. My friend Andy came out and did the Trek 100 with me, and it was an awesome weekend! I have a frog story, and another bike story that may or may not get written (it’s kinda embarrassing). More posts soon!

 

The irony of the week…

I am a biology teacher, but my specialty is plant biology. Quite specifically, horticulture, plant propagation, and taxonomy. All involve handling mature plants, which are usually flowering at the time. I focused on plants in college because I enjoyed the classes, especially the identification and ecology classes, which involved a lot of time in the field (literally often in a field). I also managed the greenhouse at Bates for a couple of years before I graduated, so I had a good working knowledge of horticulture by the time I was done. I love plants, especially the ones that I can go out and study.

A few years after college, I started having allergy problems. I already knew I was allergic to dust/ dust mites, and a few other things, but I hadn’t been tested in a few years. My allergies got bad enough that I was re-tested. When I went for the results, the allergist told me that it was easier to tell me the trees I wasn’t allergic to: I am allergic to all but three of the trees on the eastern seaboard. And don’t forget the ragweed, Queen Anne’s Lace, goldenrod, and asters.  Nice. A plant biologist who is very allergic to pollen.

I am reminded of this perennial complaint (perennial, pun intended for any plant geeks), because on my lovely ride on Sunday, the pollen level was very high. I have had all the usual allergy symptoms since the weekend, but I’m holding out hope that it’s just a cold. The irony of being a plant biologist allergic to pollen is enough. I can skip the reminder, thanks. Really.