WOAH what a weekend

I'm sure I've lost some readers because of my lack of posting, but I'm going to try to be better :).  This last weekend was amazing.  Friday through Sunday it snowed the lightest snow I may have ever seen.  The skiing was phenomenal, but it was COLD!!  Then I didn't know the meaning of the word until today... with wind chill, 40-50 below.  Good thing I didn't have much to do outside (my lesson no showed me) so I only had to stand outside for a bit every hour, but that was enough.  Here are some pics from the weekend and from my drive home so you all can see how nice my "commute" is!  Enjoy the winter where ever you are.

Where have I been?!?!?

Oh that is right... working my little tail off.  Well, finals week has finally come to a close today and I still have work to do.  But tomorrow I'm off to Mount Snow to start my "wonderful" (ah hem!) Christmas Holiday ski season.   We had a horrible ice storm last week that knocked out power to many of my friends (who not all are back online) and we are expecting a big dump tomorrow (got about 4-6 yesterday)!  So as a friend says: it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas... yes it does... but this year I'm already super exhausted... I hope I can make it through to January 3rd alive.

The picture is of the ice at Mount Snow the day after the great storm.  It made life pretty, but it was rough for so many people.

Woah

I've been pretty busy with school and work at Mt Snow has started, so there hasn't been much new to post. (oh and I missed a great picture opportunity last week as a pilot subject for a friend's study where I was "markered-up" as much as an EA Sports character...maybe next time!) But i found this and was just as shocked as Tyra was from a survey of about 10,000 teenaged women :):

• On average, girls are losing their virginity at 15 years of age.
• 14 percent of teens who are having sex say they’re doing it at school.
• 52 percent of survey respondents say they do not use protection when having sex.
• One in three says she fears having a sexually transmitted disease.
• 24 percent of teens with STDs say they still have unprotected sex.
• One in five girls says she wants to be a teen mom.
• About 50 percent acknowledge that they’ve hit someone.
• One out of three teens has tried drugs.

Ok, the second to last one is the only one I can relate too...oops :)!

Offense wins games...

DEFENSE wins championships!

I AM SOOOOO HAPPY! What a game! I couldn't watch it because (1) I don't have cable and (2) even though a friend of mine bought it to watch online, I couldn't watch for fear of my heart...and I was right. I did watch it on GameCast on ESPN.com, which seems to allow me to pretend it isn't all that big a deal, just watching bars and numbers on the screen. Well, I did care...I wasn't all that happy when they let TCU score 10 points right off the bat, when they couldn't score anything more than a field goal for 59 minutes....when they had a fourth and 5 to keep their dream alive, oh no, I wasn't happy. BUT THEY DID IT! The cardiac kids did it. This year isn't so pretty as 2004 was with Alex Smith and company, but I'll take it. Great job defense! Thank you for holding your own for the last 55 minutes! Take the day off boys and don't look past SDSU next weekend. One game at a time....

WOOHOO!!!!!! GO UTES!

Ok this was good!

I haven't watched any of the SNL stuff on Thursdays or Mondays or when ever they were on...now I'm wishing I had! :)

This one too!

Parting shot...

how can FedEx ground go to Hawaii? Doesn't that seem odd to anyone else?

One more THUMBS UP for CA!

Even though it isn't my city, what happens in Sacramento is important for my home area. The people of Sactown elected former Sun guard Kevin Johnson to be the new mayor. He was a great player, graduated from Sacramento High, and returned to his home to make a difference. I've been slightly aware of the impact he has had with his work as CEO of St Hope, an organization working for the innercity youth. But by a narrow margin, he won the race for mayor, so I hope he can continue his great work. I thought I'd include some of his incredible bio for you all to read... I wish we all could have such choices to vote in to office.

» An individual who can bring about the change this city needs through his strong leadership.

» Founder of the nationally recognized community development organization, St. HOPE.

» Third generation native of Oak Park and Sacramento, CA.

» 12-year veteran of the NBA where he played for the Phoenix Suns and was a 3-time All-Star.

» Graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where he majored in Political Science and Sacramento High School.

» Started, attracted or has planned 20 businesses resulting in nearly 300 new jobs in Sacramento.

» Catalyzed investment and plans for $14 million of economic development in the community.

» Created seven schools educating 1,800 students a year.

» Led 73% of Sacramento High students to be accepted to college last year, compared to the average matriculation rate of 20% for low-income, minority students.

» Secured over $14 million in philanthropic dollars for community development.

Honors and Awards

»John Wooden's 'Lifetime Achievement Award' Winner

»Named the '411th Point of Light' by George Bush.

» Selected as one of the '15 Greatest Men on Earth' by McCall's Magazine (WOW!)

» Recipient of the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

» Recipient of the Good Morning America Award from Sports Illustrated

» 'Most Caring American' award by the Caring Institute

» Induction into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in Boise, Idaho, and the Pac-10 Hall of Fame.

Ok so I voted...

...in a state where my vote doesn't really count for things like president. However, it matters when it comes to making possessing marijuana (an ounce of it) only a $100 fine, saying that abolishing the state tax is one of the stupidest ideas politicians have had in a long time, and getting rid of greyhound racing in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I was actually most interested in the results from California, but it confused me. So the purpose of my post...to ask a question, how can a state pass a proposition saying that in the constitution it will say that marriage is between a man and a woman (although it was only a 4% margin) give all 55 electoral votes to a man who wants to repeal the defense of marriage act, an act that says states can refuse to acknowledge same-sex marriages that may be legal in other states? did they see the loophole, that California could be the good guy and have it in the constitution but still have to recognize the unions from those transplants from Massachusetts, or did they just listen to the propaganda and not listen to reality? This makes no sense. My mom said, it isn't supposed to make sense, when I said that to her. I'm not saying I voted for McCain, because I didn't. I actually agree with Nader that our two party system is a disservice to this country...bring back the whig party, let the constitution party have its day, listen to the libertarians...if we insist on labeling people then we better start recognizing that there are other people out there who have really thought about the issues and they know it isn't black and white! So, maybe that is the answer...maybe if the Californians had felt as if they really HAD a choice, maybe the "best fit" wouldn't have been one who will contradict their monumental decision. Next time, I say we give all 10 parties a chance :)!

Another HUH? to file under this doesn't make any sense:
Obviously MA voted for Obama. GIVEN! The governor is dem, the two senators are dem, the 10 reps are dem, but this was the state which BY A LANDSLIDE voted for Mitt Romney...he got more votes than Hillary and Obama combined (I believe Obama pulled it out for the dems, but it was close). Mitt would have won if it had been an open primary...what? I'm not for voting within party lines ONLY but this gets filed under another "people confuse me" moment. Oh and another side bar. Of the 10 house races, only 4 were contested. It doesn't prove well to be a Rep in this state...so how does the Mitt thing happen? yep, I'm confused!

ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. Provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Fiscal Impact: Over next few years, potential revenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millions of dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely little fiscal impact on state and local governments.


I have to give my applause to the great state of California though. (Just read the wording: there is no mistaking what it says...wow!) [Also, I do know that Florida and Arizona had similar issues on their ballots...and they passed more decisively, but I'm from California and, let's face it, this affects a lot more people in CA than it does in other states...total numbers and per capita; kind of makes this HUGE!] The only time I've been in a state when that question was being asked of us...what is marriage...I was in Utah, where my voice didn't really count. But I applaud the citizens of California for going to the poles and answering that question...both sides of the issue. It divided the state VERTICALLY this time (or look here), it divided families, and I'm sure it divided friends. These are the reasons we vote; this is where change happens, not at the top, but in your house, in your neighborhood, in your state. Thank you all for voting, and whether we agree or not, it is our privilege to voice our opinions...something we need to do more often than once a year, or once every four years!

See I told you!

This is mount snow from the base as of 2 pm today. :) We're opening November 7th! WOO HOO!

Here comes the snow again....

Yes folks, the blue is snow..and the red dot is where I live. And NO this isn't at 3 in the morning when it is SUPER cold...nope this is from about 9 oclock. I just got home and noticed the precipitation was a bit different than when I left...yep, you guessed it...SNOW! I know, it is only October 28th...but I'll take it! Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween. Ours won't be white, but I can have dreams of sugar flakes dancing in my head...oh, wait, I'm mixing holidays and weather...I'm just so happy!

Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?

Ok maybe it isn't THAT much snow, but this is an awesome sight to wake up to...that it is snowing just about an hour and a bit north of me! WOO HOO! If I haven't expressed it on here, I am SOOOOO excited for the snow/winter and this is just one more thing to tease me and keep my excitement high! Welcome, winter...now that the colors are almost gone, I will take all the snow I can get! :)

RISE AND SHOUT...

...the cougars are OUT! As much as I love my Utes (which has grown since I've left, well, at least for the football team) I am actually sad that BYU lost last night. I wanted another epic game, but this time between two teams who may have a chance at a big payout (even a possible national championship)! Now, it will just be the same ol' rivalry with the added possibility that the Cougars would be out to defeat the Utes just so they don't get the chance the Cougs missed out on...I'm sorry to all my Cougar fans out there, and I'm sorry for all my Ute fans out there who now have to really worry about losing to the Cougs for pride issues, not BCS dreams.

hiking in the woods...

With autumn arrival, and the wonderful spring/summer rains we had, I knew this year was going to be much better than last year for color. Unfortunately, sometimes cameras can't show what it really looked like. But these are some of the best from my Sunday and Monday hikes with friends. Sunday was with a friend locally (you know a nice outdoor walk on a Sunday) and Monday another friend and I drove up to New Hampshire (a whole 45 minutes) and hiked in the Pisgah State park...JUST WHAT I NEEDED! Amazing views, great colors, no people and even a great dirt road entry that Jeepers got a thrill on! Hope all your autumns are as vibrant and fun as mine has been! (Perfect timing for peak colors and a three day weekend!)

A wonderful fall ride with a few friends and adventures

Five incidences which made our beautiful ride even better or at least more memorable:
(1) the ride started off with one of our riders getting a flat...and not just any flat. A screw went through her tire/tube and dented her rim. I rode home and got a new tire for her, one man fixed her rim and the other helped finish off the tube replacement, and 45 minutes later, we started off.
(2) It was seriously beautiful ride...see pictures:

(3) Part of our ride lead us to a hike-a-bike section, that on this day and at this time had a TRAIN in our way. Well, when we started down the hill the train was stopped, then it slowly started as we were contemplating how to get on the other side. Then, with only about 15 cars to go to the end, it stopped again. So, you can watch in the pictures what we did (and just as the bikes went so did we!) ;) Oh yea, one of our riders decided to RIDE the train...it was classic.

(4) The ride was so up and up and up, and for 63 miles it was a good tough one, that I was so not ready for.
(5) finally: On a bike path, on which we road for only about a mile, we had a run in with a gaggle of people who had stopped on the path, blocking it almost completely. The two guys had sprinted off in front of us and so we got to watch them approach the group which split when they came close. So we rode on, as the group closed up again. Then they started to part when we came up, but one lady was a bit different in the group. In a very concerned way, she very seriously told us to NOT RIDE OVER THE CATERPILLAR! Watch out for the caterpillar. No seriously, it was a simple black and brown one slowly crossing the path, like the 50 others we had already seen. OK!?!?!? We got about 5 minutes of laughter out of it...so have all my friends I have told...ONLY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS!

Not all apples are created equal...

So, being in New England, I have learned of the GREAT apple tradition here. Apples are HUGE! (as in big and a big deal) Apple picking is an activity in which many New Englanders participate. A good friend of mine went apple picking (2xs) and returned with so many pounds of apples I can't even start to estimate the mass. So, yesterday, she had her own apple festival. The apples in the picture are only a representation, not NEARLY all of them are shown here. I showed a bit late, but it was seriously an all day activity: making apple sauce, pies, turnovers, the butter will be finished today...and who knows whatelse we were in the process of making. (I was there for 8 hours myself...making the apple sauce, turnovers, and funny objects with the left over crust :)!) She makes these goodies and gives some of the goodies away, but she will freeze the pies and turnovers, uncooked, for a later date. Apparently, even though she makes a dozen or more pies, they don't make it till Thanksgiving :)! I'm sure this year I will help in making those disappear before pumpkin pie time! Another GREAT New England traditional experience...that ends this time in having YUMMIES!

Chasing the little white ball, in the rain, in VT

On Tuesday afternoon, I got a call from one of my friends up at Mount Snow asking if I could make a foursome on Thursday in a charity golf tournament for a fellow ski instructor who passed away in an auto accident long. Of course I said yes! So, Thursday morning I calmly left my house at 10 o'clock and drove only 1.5 hours to a wonderful course in central Vermont. The pictures in the show are not really capturing EXACTLY what happened, but while the course was wonderful, the weather was less than ideal. You'll notice that the weather goes from sunny and gorgeous to dark and gloomy. Imagine that when it is dark and gloomy it is also POURING! I have never played in such weather. In fact, the mountain across the valley from us (Okemo Ski resort) ended the day with a dusting of snow on the top! WOOHOO! Only fitting for a bunch of ski instructors to be out playing in such weather.

This is a picture of my winning drive. You can see two yellow markers: the one closes to you, the viewer, is the men's drive, and the one about 15 ft back is marking where mine stopped. In scramble tournaments, if you don't know, there are contests within contests, and I think we missed the closest to the pin shot, but this one we didn't, although the story is funny. I was walking down the fairway, thinking, WOW that was a beautiful shot, I might be the longest drive in my foursome. Sure I started about 30 feet in front of them, but wow, wouldn't that be cool. As I approached I was recognizing I was the longest ball in my group, so I was feeling pretty happy, especially because this had happened at one point when a strong, cold cell had moved in and it was so wet I could barely see. We all gathered around my ball when one of the guys said, hey, you have to mark that. Uh, with what, what are you talking about (still focused on the fact that my ball was being chosen for play on a LONG drive situation)...with the long ball stick. Oh, well it is up there about 10-15 feet already...no no, not that one, that one is the men's...you need to go back and get THAT ONE (he points rather dramatically). WAH! I had walked right passed it about 40-50 YARDS back! So, I went and got the WOMEN'S stick and marked my ball with pride :)! Turns out I won, and everyone after us had seen my mark and was VERY impressed. As were the other Mount Snow team, who won the tourney. So that means that 8 of us went and 5 of us left with goodies from the proshop (I got a $35 dollar coupon at the shop!). Hope I get to play next year...I'll mark my closest ball too, because I KNOW I was closer than the woman who won, I just wasn't paying attention! ;)

They might give me a heartattack, but...

here is something we can "rise and shout" about...sorry, BYU fans, I just had to.

Utah (6-0) is the first team to become bowl eligible this season.

I know it is because the bowl qualifications are soft (6 wins, please!) and because we played on Thursday (hey, I didn't make the schedule!), but that is kind of a cool thing for a little ol' school like Utah to be able to say after beating (albeit after time had expired) the team (Oregon State) who just knocked off the number one team last week, in USC! A win is a win is a win...I'll take it and the becoming bowl eligible first. What about a UTAH/BYU national championship game? Too bad they play each other in league or that could be awesome! GO UTES!

Good idea, bad idea...

Recently I've been on a kick of watching old animaniacs episode pieces on youtube. A few friends and I have been having fun reliving some of the good old days: rewatching and quoting it throughout the day. Well, I came across this good idea, bad idea that I thought needed to make it on my blog. Enjoy!

I wouldn't normally, but this is too precious not to post...

Have a laugh on me:

Good bye, Uncle Paul!

I was incredibly saddened to hear of Paul Newman's passing Friday. I only found out this afternoon and I immediately said, "oh, no, not Uncle Paul." While I loved him in everything I have seen him in, thinking he is pretty dang good looking as a young guy, I also enjoyed his food products and the philosophy behind them. (He started it all here in CT, you know!) But I will never forget the day I was skiing with one of the Redford grandkids because the regular instructor was sick or at school or needed a day off and it was my priveledge to take her place and the Redford was telling me about Uncle Paul. I just said, uh huh, yes, that's nice the whole time, but when I returned to my supervisor who asked how it went, I said, I know I'm new here, but I didn't think there was a Paul in the Redford clan. She said, oh no there isn't, "Uncle Paul is Paul Newman!" So, while I never got the opportunity to meet the man, a very close group of people always spoke of him in the highest regard and he and his wife sounded like wonderful people. I will morn the loss as an old movie fan and as a fan of good people! Good bye, Uncle Paul! May Newman's Own live on as your movies will, as part of your legacy!

SNOW?

My last post was about how fall has arrived, and the leaves are starting to turn. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some pics this weekend. But I woke up this morning and checked out the weather. Warren Miller has been known to use the phrase that some where on the earth it is snowing. And this is true, but LOOK at where it is snowing right now! YEP! RIGHT HERE IN THE US! I don't know why but I'm so excited for this winter, so this little bit of blue that has shown up in the lower 48 is just what I needed to see today! But in the mean time, I'll just keep riding my bike and enjoying the autumn in New England!

WOW, fall is here!

As some of you may have heard, it is SOO much cooler here: thank you Canada!

So that means it is REALLY starting to look and feel like fall. Some of the leaves are even turning which means SOON I will be able to experience a wonderful New England autumn! And you all know what that means...yep, PICTURES!

When I left my house this morning at almost 11 am it was still 48 degrees outside. Which means I had to bring out the long sleeve jersey on my ride. And I was only going to go for a little ride. Well, the weather was so great and the air so crisp and the trees so great, I had to keep going. And while just under 40 doesn't seem like it is THAT long, I included the elevation profile for you...see, we do have "hills" to work out on here. Notice how one seems to climb quickly on the profile? I tell you, it isn't any different on a bike. One minute you are just cruising along on a nice rolling road, you make a left and WHAM! UP UP UP. I calculated it was probably more than 2000 vertical feet of climbing. YES! Not like Utah, but not bad for New England!The two big humps are through a state forest (the first) and the second is through a very rural area with few people and lots of ponds. VERY PRETTY!

Oh and about school...well, I'm completely in the thick of it and having so much fun. I now stay at school most evenings till 6, working on numerous projects, helping others and just really enjoying what I'm doing. I'm sure sometime soon it will frustrate me, but for now...just loving the ride! :)

Week 2

Well, my second week of school is almost gone. It is more of the same, with a bit more work. And I think I'm still having more fun than working :)! I started off the semester (as in THE FIRST DAY) with the flu (not stomach) so I've been taking it easy these two weeks so that I can try to get rid of it. Hopefully, I'll do something fun this weekend, but if not...just picture me in front of my computer working on computer programs :)...that is my life ;)!

"staff of the gods"

As Gustav ("staff of the gods") nears the coast of Louisiana (AGAIN!), the people are being evacuated and FEMA is already in place. This will be a better result, I hope. I'm also impressed with the evacuation of the animals prior to the arrival of the Storm. I saw a clip on an evening news program this evening and I started to cry when the owners expressed how thankful they were for the service. All the animals on this news clip were evacuated in an air conditioned semi and the people were taken in buses, all to the same place and they were each tagged so the owners would be found quickly. I pray these people don't lose their homes and belongings, but hopefully this time they won't lose the animal members of their families. I'm glad we can learn.

What the....

Just when life was getting better with my computer...I was learning how to program in a language there is no class for and getting quite good at it...I made a boo boo! One afternoon I decided to treat myself to a Sprite and I was happily sitting at my computer getting back to work when I reached for my drink. It slipped out of my hand, bounced and spilled about a table spoon's worth of Sprite on my keyboard. There was no smoke or sparks, but I knew I had to clean it up as fast as possible. SO with water and paper towels I followed the instructions on a website and tried to get it cleaned up. After about 15 minutes of drying, I tried to resume my computering...well, I couldn't get my "s" to work. I cleaned some more...NOTHING. I went to Target that night to get the special compressed air keyboard cleaner...didn't help. SO, I went to bed thinking: what am I going to do? I awoke in the morning after several prayers to try my keys again...YES! I GOT MY "S" BACK! But I had lost the "L"! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! To make a long story short, two days later, it came back as well. PHEW! I ordered a replacement keyboard after I couldn't get my "L" after the first day, but I will replace this one anyway (it was less than $25 dollars for a new one...I can handle that!). Lesson learned: sugary, carbonated drinks are bad for computers, it makes them misbehave; Sprites are not for computers! :O)

I learned something about myself this weekend...

...I 100% bleed red if cut. WOW, I have been a Michigan fan almost my whole life. I dreamt of getting in there. I was almost jealous of people who I learned had or do attend. I was so excited to go there for my conference last week (so much so I skipped some talks to go just SEE The BIG HOUSE!) And yet, when I watched the game (having to go to a friend's house because I don't have ESPN2, leaving my friends who were watching the BYU game, the reason I was invited over in the first place) I realized, I am a UTE! I was happy to watch my team, my WOLVERINES LOSE to UTAH! It wasn't as pretty as it could have been, but I'll take it. This season is going to be very interesting. Oh it was a great weekend for me for college football too; the Stanford Cardinal won their first game and have a winning record for the first time in what seems like forever, Cal won a big game (and yes, if you know anything about that rivalry, I DO have a hard time chosing every year, but I usually root for the Bears), Sac State won a home game, Cal Poly won a road game, and UMass won its home opener under the lights! WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND! Welcome back college football! NOW, it is too bad I don't have ESPN or ESPN2...oh well, that is what friends are for :)!

Now that the games are over...

...I'm going to finish up my sporadic Olympic coverage with my top five sports of the summer Olympics. In no particular order:

(1) 10 K open water swim
Yes, I watched every minute of these races (men's and women's) live. They each swim for about 2 hours straight, pulling up to the feed stations and eating/drinking on the fly just like their running counterparts. Absolutely an amazing example of endurance and perseverance. Besides the men's winner from the Netherlands was diagnosed with Leukemia a few years back and fought back to be the swimmer he is.

(2) Triathlon (men's and women's)

Maybe it was just because I like participating in Tris myself, I love watching these athletes compete in Beijing. But please, what is up with the sticky blue carpet they had to ride and run on? The coefficient of friction on their tires was so much higher it caused them to expend a lot of energy.

(3) Flatwater Kayaking!
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0821_SD_CFB_HL_L1097
Grace, power, speed, and water (why have my first three included water?); it doesn't get any better than this. So, much so I had to include a video of the women's K1 final. Just enjoy.

(4) Mountain biking
This was part of the course. A course which had been ripped on by the racers prior to the Olympics after they raced a world cup qualifier there. It was too easy they said. So, the officials made it harder by putting in more drops, rocks and fun things to cross. Well, they got what they wished. Women walked, men dropped out, and people rode away with BIG victories; I LOVE IT!

(5) FencingAnd finally fencing. I have always loved these events, but I got to watch more of it online WITHOUT COMMENTARY! Which I loved. Again, grace and power with a bit of fancy footwork and handwork thrown in. Oh and some jumping and lunging :)! Ancient sport kept new and fresh with technology; same old moves, but a new sound. Besides who wouldn't love the only sport that is played in the dark. Obviously the athletes are highlighted, but the audience is in the dark, just like a play, an artistic and beautifully choreographed play.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (Mostly because they are sports I played :)!)

I would have put beach volleyball on here, but I don't think any sport that has a rule that women have to wear bikinis should be vilified.

Indoor volleyball is an awesome sport, especially since the introduction of the libero (back row specialist...what I was in High School without the fancy name).

And finally, women's soccer. We all know how much I love this game, but to have won the gold again, even with a keeper who scares me to DEATH, was wonderful and worth my time :)!

So, here is what I want to do: I want anyone who wants to, to tell me what your favorite moment or sport of the Olympics was. It doesn't have to be anything special and it could just be a moment, as I said. I would just love to hear what other people saw and thought.

Final note: Here we come LONDON...

You think with David Beckham as their "spokes person" London's goal will be the football gold? I mean, 119 is a fine goal, but I bet they want one more than any other on their home turf!

SO here is what really happened in Michigan!

I'm sure many of you have been waiting for REAL pictures, as in pictures with ME in them...here you go:


The three of us drove in a car across NY essentially to Michigan and had a blast! We actually all got along and talked most of the time...11 hours there and about 10 back. Not bad for three PhD students! We didn't nerd each other out!
Oh yes, we ate...mmmmmm cake! Don't worry I split it with two other women. Yes, I'm changing my ways. Remember the time Lex would just have eaten the whole thing and not shared?!?!?!??!?!
Remember, this was a biomechanics conference, so there were some really cool toys...ok there was one. This machine worked you pushing out and coming back in (concentric and eccentric) . I was sore the rest of the conference after my full work out on the first day.

And there was MUCH silliness. I couldn't believe that a sign like this exists. (I mean, what, if the line in the bathroom is too long, do you try the one across the street? seriously!) SO, I of course, had to "attempt" a crossing. :) OH, this is 90 which travels across the state of New York. I mean, why would anyone even THINK he/she could cross a MAJOR highway?

This has got to make you feel better!

We can all have a bad day, and we are all aloud to have a bad day but watching this really did make me think: wow, maybe I'm not that bad a rider, I mean, look at them! These are some of the crashes at the Olympics by the women in mountain biking. Unfortunately, I think the German rider near the end, the one who doesn't get up for a while, really does hurt her shoulder, but we will not laugh at them, just admire the grace, and maybe remember the times you did something VERY SIMILAR! :) The mountain biking at the Olympics was MUCH better than was hoped for. Anyone up for a trip to Beijing to try it out?


http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0822_SD_CMW_MN_L1206

Now this is real sportsmanship!

Really, if you need a pick me up story, you need to see this clip...

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0820_SD_MUL_AU_CE517

It is almost that time.

I got distracted today by old SI covers. Some of which I thought I would share because of my desire to get skiing again. I'll put together another slide show soon with another topic! But for now...(Oh, and some of the comments may be best understood by some of my skiing friends, so don't hesitate to ask if you care what they mean.)

There is competitive, then there is this...

This is a link to a video of the American pole vaulter, Jennifer Stuczynski, getting an earful from her coach after she earned a silver by losing (if you can call it that) to the number one pole vaulter in the world who had to set a world record to win. I hope she fires this coach...what a JERK!

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0818_HD_ATW_HL_L1722

Finally, a gift

It may be that you can only barely see the rainbow, it wasn't THAT strong, but it was a welcome sight. After all the rain, we finally got to see a beautiful gift. (So I got to a nice little pond as a nice scene for the image, although I lost some of the starkness of the colors.) Trust me, it was nice to see. Oh, and the golden colors on the trees was just from the sun, the "colors" of New England haven't come YET...but this year should be great with all the rain and the coming cool weather. So, stay tuned!

Mishigami

The name of the state of Michigan, while being named after the lake is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigami, meaning "large water" or "large lake". WOW! you say. Well that is where I was last week so I thought I'd start off with an interesting fact. Now on to the good stuff. I was there for a biomechanics conference. I'm still amazed at how so many "nerds" in one place could actually be so cool :)!

These first pictures are a few from our trip into and out of Canada. It was supposed to be two hours shorter, but it ended up being over an hour longer because of traffic. Well, because we sat about 100yds from the gate out for over an hour, possibly closer to two...FOR NO REASON. Except maybe for the storm, which you can't see in the bridge picture, to move in on us while we were on the bridge, which you can see in the picture with the two flags as we were on the bridge.
Just as we passed the Welcome to Michigan sign you can see we were once again stopped (it took us forever to get across the bridge in the storm) and while we were just sitting there the bridge got struck by lightening just feet away from us...we were VERY glad to get off that bridge!




Sorry for the "picture" on this video; I didn't realize i wouldn't be able to rotate it. But it is the sound that matters anyway. Listen to the song. I think someone goes in and plays the "clock" for a half hour at noon every day. After one meeting a friend and I came out to this...

..on a state college and everything! :)

The following "show" are just some pictures from around campus!

On Thursday of the conference we had a banquet at the Henry Ford museum. As one might expect, there were MANY cars: JFK's limo, a few older cars, a nice old jeep, but there were some other things as well, like an exhibit on Chocolate, the fastest car EVER, the Oscar Meyer Weiner car, and some nice old planes. For those pictures, just personally request, but I wanted to share my two favorites. Firstly, there was a whole section on bicycles. The picture on the left is a bike with 10 seats. Check out the rear chain ring! I'll take that spot! Anyone wanna try it up Hobble Creek with me some day? The second picture (right) is a picture of the inside of the bus Rosa Parks had her famous ride on. It was there in a section devoted to the American experience and growth as a nation. Sitting on the bus and thinking of the story, one gets a feeling for how far we have come, and how far we have to go.

LIVE FREE OR DIE!

I mean, really, how could you not just LOVE that motto!?!?!?!?! Thank you, New Hampshire. Now, why would I write that? Well, that is where I rode this morning. You can see the "path" in my new section: Ride of the week (which won't be updated for a bit because I'll be out of town next week, but I couldn't think of anything better to call it...please forgive :)!)

This is just a picture essay of what I saw today...















I love the contrast of these signs. One is nice and has the motto; which may scare someone. The other looks as if it has been there since the 70s and is kind of an after thought. And, yes, that is a FRENCH welcome to our friends from the north!

This is the Ashuelot River I followed the whole time I was on 119 NH. It was super pretty. Sometimes rushing and sometimes calm. It is just south of the Pisgah State park, a place I fully intend on checking out soon!


You may notice the "face" on the NH signage. They are in "remembrance" of the Old Man of the Mountain, a face-like profile in the Franconia Notch, until the formation fell apart in May 2003. My plan was to only ride to Hinsdale, then I saw this sign and I changed my mind. I turned right and stayed in NH, but next time I will turn left and go into VT. Also, check out the house with license plate siding. I wonder what they would have to do to register their house? HA HA HA, just kidding. This is just on my mind because I had to register my car in a new state this week and it was a learning experience.

Ok this is one of my favorite things on this ride (I'll pause to let you read.) As far as I can tell this is a descendant of the Hatfield, not Hadley/Amherst Dickinsons (Emily's family), but I could be wrong. But what a memorial. I love the "other side": poor Asahel, he hung out with the wrong crowd.