I found the niftiest feature on Google Maps last night. On the left hand side, enter your origin by the green "A" circle, then your destination by the "B". Not only will it give you directions, it will also plot it out on a map. But the best part is, you can MOVE the A&B markers on the map manually. The blue map lines will snap to roads like they're magnetic. It's really fun to play with. I was easily able to figure out how long my bike trips have been (previously I had to drop screen prints of the maps into Photoshop and measure them...it was a PITA, especially since CS3's measure tool doesn't work like PS7's. The only disadvantage is that it doesn't recognize our bike trails (which happen to be marked mostly by railroad routes, because that's what they previously were) as "roads". Since the bike trails are usually more direct, i.e. a cowpath, (sometimes they're actually longer) than roads which involve a lot of right angles, the results will be a little longer, so I have to cut off some tenths of miles, or in some cases, add some.

I realized I haven't written down my latest trips, so here we go:

Friday September 12, Afternoon, Badger State Trail: Henry Rd., Basco, down to County Rd. D, Belleville. Trip didn't start out that bad, but as it progressed, I kept getting insects all over me. I stopped to apply my natural bug repellent all over my body (used in jojoba oil in a roll-on, which was all I had at the time...next time I'll concoct a witch hazel and water blend (with the active ingredients, of course) and put it in a spritzer instead) but I think it only made it worse. Although the active ingredient essential oils serve to repel insects by smell, when you're riding your bike through a swarm of insects, you can't help to bump into them regardless if they like the way you smell or not. The jojoba oil actually caused them to stick to me, so I had collected a whole bunch of insects on my body. It was especially gross when they made their way down my cleavage. It was gross. It was also exhausting. I wanted to turn around at Frenchtown Road, but I think it was Stan who suggested it wasn't very long of a ride, so we go further. Thing is, we didn't find any other cross roads to park on for when we start the next time. So we went longer than I wanted. On the way back, I felt like I was going to pass out. My head was hurting (headache) from the helmet, and I was swerving around because I was riding so slow. I was afraid I would end up in the ditch. Here's the weird part: when I checked my cellphone when I got back to the car, all it showed was that numbers had been depressed...and those numbers were? 911. Yes. 911. I thought maybe Stan had (without my knowing because I was "out of it" and oblivious) had grabbed my cellpone out of my fanny pack, pressed 911 just in case I had passed out on the trail it would be "predialed", and then put the phone back in my fanny pack. Why would he put it back in my pack when it would be better to keep it with him? I figured out that the numbers 911 were actually from the prompts I had to push to speak to a customer service rep on ebay a couple days before. Odd that it was 911. Afterwards we went to Culver's in Verona to get something to eat (I was dying...I needed something) but the drive-thru was filled with post-soccer game moms and kids so we went to Michael's Frozen Custard instead. No line, but we had to wait forever. We were destined to wait, regardless of where we went. I made Stan buy me a banana split. I didn't like it...I didn't like the pineapple...tasted fishy. I thought banana splits were bananas and chocolate and ice cream (or frozen custard). But what do I know? I never had a banana split before. Yes, you read right...I never had a banana split before. And I'm 47. I made him trade me the split for his muddy banana (chocolate and banana) which was better. I don't think I'll order a banana split again...at least not there.
Miles one way by car: 3.9. Adjusted for bike ride: approx. 3.5. 7 miles total. Longest trip to date.

No riding that weekend. It rained.

Monday September 15, Afternoon: Trip to Post Office. Stan said it was easy to get to the post office on the bike! Bullshit! First, there's the bike path near our house, which is nice, but we have to get off at some road in the mid-century suburbs, then ride through confusing mid-century streets of boring homes, then go to another bike path in a park which is being torn up, so we have to walk our bikes through the park, then we have to go on a really busy street...I got to the really busy street (I'm not doing it...I'm just that paranoid of bad traffic and bikes...I'm just not doing it.) and I turned around and told Stan it was bullshit...go ahead, I'll meet him back in the park. He seemed a bit disappointed. But he had said earlier "if you don't want to go all the way, you don't have to". Typical guy, to tell a girl she doesn't have to go all the way and then be disappointed when she decides not to. Anyway, I waited for him in the park. And waited. And waited. I tried calling his cellphone several times. No answer. I was worried he forgot to bring it with him. What the hell was wrong, was he pissed because I didn't want to go all the way? Did he decide to go home without me? I tried one last time. He'd been detained by homeland security. See, he went into the post office with a bike helmet and a backpack, because, well, HE WAS RIDING A GODDAMN BIKE, FERFUCKSSAKE, AND HOW ELSE DOES ONE BRING MAIL ON A BIKE, MAGICALLY SPIN IT IN THE AIR ABOVE ONE'S NON-HELMETED HEAD? Asshole asks him what's in the backpack. WHATTHEFUCKDOYOUTHINKISINTHEBACKPACK? MAIL!!!!!! I hate George Bush and the whole fearmongering paranoid...!that guy's wearing a helmet with a backpack! SUV-driving crowd. Assholes. Anyway, if he wants to go to the post office on his bike without me and be detained by homeland security again, that's fine. But I'll pass. It's just too exhausting of a trip, and too dangerous for my liking. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE PUT A WORKABLE POST OFFICE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD?!? Stop'nGo's Little Post Office of Methheads and Crackwhorrors Contract Station hardly cuts it. You can't ship out of the country! They give non-official, illegible receipts. Lame, lame lame. Anyway, I rant and digress.
Total miles: who knows, who cares.

Tuesday, September 16, Afternoon, Badger State Trail: County Rd. D, Belleville to Fahey Rd., Belleville. Pathetic little ride through the lovely town of Belleville, which creeps both of us out for unknown reasons. Belleville is pretty on the west side, where there's a lake, but on the east side, where the bike path goes through, it has this creepy small town loud farm equipment noisy barn hillbilly SUV-driving quality. I was really tired that day, probably because of the stressful ride the day before. It was also really windy which made it hard. I could tell Stan was disappointed that we didn't go further, but I wasn't going to have a situation like last time where I felt like I was going to end up in the ditch from exhaustion. Afterward, we ate veggie sandwiches at Michael's for dinner. They were...eh...ok. I could eat one again, I guess, sort of like a grilled cheese with some vegetables...no big whoop. But there's only so many Culver's Norwegian Cod Filet Sandwiches one can eat. Will someone please add some vegetarian/fish items to a fast food menu? Give us some choices, will you?
Miles one way by car: 1.8. Adjusted for bike ride: 1.7. Not much difference. 3.4 miles total.

The next day I was suffering from exhaustion, Thursday out of town visitor, and Friday I had a doc appt. (yes, one of THOSE doc appts.) so I didn't want to sit on a bike seat after that. So no biking those days. BTW, after going off of all land animal meat and all my bike riding, my blood pressure was higher than last year. No surprise. I bloody hate genetics. I mean it wasn't BAD, but the top # was a little higher. Doctor wasn't worried though. Genetics suck.

Saturday, September 20, Noon, Military Ridge State Trail: Blue Mounds (Division Street) to just outside Blanchardville, County Rd. K. This was a really nice, long ride through the semi-creepy town of Blue Mounds (town looks like a western town with false-front stores). They were having a ya-hey fest in a park which was right by the bike path, so there were all these cars parked along the bike trail, which was rather annoying. So many SUVs, and why? Blue Mounds is the perfect place where they could bring the horse back. After Blue Mounds, the trail went past Blue Mounds State park, climbed a hill and went way out in the country. We got to the outskirts of Blanchardville. I don't know if it was because it was earlier in the day or what, but even though this was the longest ride to date, I wasn't as tired as other times. We both ordered Bananas Fosters from a Culver's in Cross Plains on the way home. I couldn't finish mine; ate all the bananas and the "Fosters sauce" (sort of carmelly...reminds me of tonka bean scent which I have as a sample--don't eat it--it's a killer blood thinner) and gave a lot of the vanilla custard to Stan.
Miles one way by car: 3.5 miles. Adjusted for bike ride: approx. 3.9. This is one instance where the auto roads are actually more direct because the bike trail did a really long circular route. 7.8 miles total. Longest trip to date.

Sunday: recovered from ride the day before.

Monday, September 22, Afternoon, Badger State Trail. Fahey Rd., south of Belleville, to Tunnel Road outside of Exeter. It was windy, although not as bad as the week prior. I think it's just a really windy part of the state. We came equipped with a flashlight for the tunnel, but didn't make it that far. We'll save that for the start of the next trip, whenever that will be. I think I'm a lot more exhausted for the afternoon rides than I am when we start out earlier on a weekend. We both ate another Culver's Norwegian Cod Filet Sandwich for dinner, except I could only eat half of mine and gave the rest to Stan. Need. Other. Vegetarian/Fish. Choices.
Miles one way by car: 2.5. No adjustment for bike ride...it looked really similar. 5 miles total.

Labels: Biking

We began the Badger State Trail today, and did 2 1/2 mile (5 round trip) trip from Purcell Road in the country somewhere near Fitchburg/Verona/Oregon down to Basco (a small town with no stoplights and a scary tavern in an old lady's basement). It was a perfect day for riding, and even though it was uphill going back, I was much more tired Saturday, the "uphill both ways" ride on Glacial Drumlin between Helenville and Sullivan. This trail goes all the way down into Illinois (I guess it's not called the *Badger* state trail at that point) into the flatlands, so it will be downhill going and uphill coming for every trip. Next time we ride, we'll make it partway or to the outskirts of Belleville. South of Belleville is a tunnel that's about 1/4 mile long. They suggest walking your bike the entire way and bringing a flashlight. Today we crossed some very beautiful farmland. This wasn't just treeless prairie farmland, this was rolling hills with trees and green pastures and limestone outcroppings along the trail. I love this scenery. Some of the most beautiful countryside exists in the southwest part of this state.

Labels: Biking

Friday we parked on Erbe Rd. outside of Mt. Horeb and took the Military Ridge Trail up to Blue Mounds (around Division Street?). About 4 1/4 - 4 1/2 miles round trip most likely. It was hard coming back because the final leg was uphill. That was in the late afternoon. Then Saturday noontime we went to Glacial Drumlin, starting at Pohlman Park, and rode until Pioneer Rd. outside of Sullivan. Both of us swear the approx. 5 -6 mile round trip was uphill both ways. I was riding so slow coming back...I wanted to drop dead. My knee was in pain...yes, that knee. The Whole Foods slippery floor knee. The Fort Collins "I don't give a damn about you, but I'll tell you I will call you back and check on you tomorrow to see how you're doing" Whole Food. Bastards. Every time I feel pain in that knee when cycling or post-cycling, I will think of that fall and how much I hate that Texas Crunchy Yuppie Corporation and be thankful that we now have a Trader Joe's in town to give us a choice.

Sunday we did not bike. I was recuperating. But we did find the start of a new trail, the Badger State Trail. Starts on Purcell Rd. outside of Basco. Something to take in the afternoons now that the other ones are getting further away.

Labels: Biking

Last Sunday, due to hurricane Gustav, John McCain urges Republicans and Conventioneers to "take off our Republican hats and put on our American hats." OK...so does this mean that normally Republicans aren't Americans? Yes, yes, I believe that must be the case.

And they called Hillary "Shrill". Hillary has nothing on this nails-on-a-chalkboard squeaky mouse on steroids. Hillary's voice is like a smooth drink of warm velvet compared to this. Yes, I watched it...for the amusement value and to get my blood boiling (not that I really need that with high blood pressure and all). A "see how what the other half thinks" sort of thing.

OK, Gustav is HERE. Yes, here in the upper midwest up nort dere here. This really stinks for so many reasons, not that we don't need the calm steady rain or the cooler temperatures. Well, maybe it doesn't stink.. Maybe it's good. Maybe it's just for my own selfish reasons. Here's what happened:

Last Friday was the first time I could ride my bike since I was sick during the first part of that week. Things were looking good...it was Labor Day weekend and we had a three-day weekend to ride bikes. Friday, due to mega errands we had to do beforehand, we rode on a path closer to town (through Fitchburg, to be precise) than our usual excursions into the country on the State Trails. It was a paved ride, but very up and down hilly. Maybe about 4 miles round trip, between Syene road and Glacier View (a suburban road about a block from Fish Hatchery Road). It was part of the Capital City Trail. Very exhausting, very hot, pretty winding. We went through a nature preserve that was next to a public hunting ground. Odd. Pretty though. Parts of it reminded me of reoccurring dreams I would have where we drive into a natural area with grass and tall trees and water and there's lots of people all heading the same way. I think the dream is about dying. But anyway...

Then on Saturday mid morning, we went out past Mount Horeb to a place where we could park near the bike path close to Blue Mounds, and rode back to 78 where we ended the last Military Ridge Trail ride more than a week before. It was a quick ride to, but hell coming back. The sun was getting close to noon and it was a scorcher of a day, plus we were going uphill coming back. That's all we could ride...about 4 miles round trip again. We were hoping it would cool off for the rest of the weekend, but it didn't, each day getting hotter and hotter, until Tuesday, the hottest of them all. And Wednesday (yesterday) I had an eye doctor's appointment, so naturally I couldn't ride after that because my eyes were all anesthetized from the pressure test and dilated and wonky and I couldn't see (thank goodness Stan came with me...I surely wouldn't be able to drive home). And of course, on that day, the weather was PERFECT. Absolutely perfect. So we think, hey, it'll be even cooler today, Thursday, this will be a great day for a ride, even better weather. But no. This is when the remnants of Gustav decide to show up nort here. No bike rides for you. No, this isn't some west to east system passing through. Looking at a radar weather map online, this is a big swirling mass that's going to stick around all day. Not that I don't have lots of errands to do instead...But I feel like I've been cheated out of biking, either due to weather or doc appointments or being sick, or whatever. It's quite addicting. It's like the more you take these bike rides, the more you want to go. It will be very frustrating in the winter. I'm not one for riding in ice and snow. Never was.

Labels: Biking, Politically Incorrect, This Boring Life

Exhausting ride, and the longest to date. On Glacial Drumlin we went from Switzke Road (between Johnson Creek and Helenville, small convenient parking area right by the trail there) to Helenville and beyond, down to Pohlman County Park--just a little side of the road park--where we sat on the ground under tall trees and listened to birds and caught our breath and applied my homemade all natural insect repellents. There was parking and a picnic area and a stinkless modern outhouse. A bit over 3 miles one way, so a bit over 6 miles total, on probably the worst trail condition of the route...lots of loose gravel, gopher holes and unmown weeds. Since it was a very clear, sunny Colorado day--which Wisconsin is getting more and more of--my face was a nice odd collection of red and green hues after we were done. I fell asleep in the car on the way home. BTW, when we went biking Thursday through Mount Horeb in the rain and mist, my face didn't turn any colors. It was either due to it being cooler, or to the fact there was no sun. I blame the sun, personally.

I have a doctor's appointment in the middle of September. If my lack of bird and mammal flesh compounded with the bike rides has not shown a lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol, then I'm just a hopeless genetic case. I have a fear, however, that's what it will be. It'd be great if it wasn't, but I fear that whatever I try to do to change it, it won't. Genetics can't be stopped.

Labels: Biking

Just a short note on the biking. Tuesday went from Towne Halle Roade in Springdale (Pistol Packin' Pat's haunts, Stan...maybe it was that Republican Fortress Compound we saw, eh?) to Waltz Park in Mount Horeb. Uphill ALL the way. I guess it was about 1.5 miles one way. Rode back without pedaling ONCE. Whee.

So does one expend more energy round trip going up a hill and then going downhill going back, or does one expend more energy going the same distance but flat both ways? First scenario you're expending a lot of energy at first, but then none the way back, second scenario you're expending equal amounts of energy both ways, but not as heavily as going uphill. I wish someone knew.

Yesterday I stopped of at the Mount Horeb post office beforehand, and ironically, I was mailing something to Norway. "Ooooh, it's going to Norway" said the postl worker. Mount Horeb is the troll capitol of...Wisconsin? USA? The World? Heavy Norwegian influence.

So we went from Waltz Park through the entire distance of the town. I figured that was almost 3 miles one way, probably about 2.75 or something. It was so much fun, probably the most fun bike ride I ever did. Sometimes when we go on these country trails, it gets a bit repetitive...trees, prairies, marshes, farm equipment, farm, rinse and repeat. But because this was going through a town, there was a lot of varied sites to see. It was also misting, so we were getting rather wet, and dusty, so we were covered with this veneer of trail dust attached by moisture. The trail went high above the city in some parts, as it was a former railroad bed. We ended up at the end of business highway 151 at the intersection of 78. Next time, we'll head toward Blue Mounds, probably next week some time.

Labels: Biking

Today we went from County Road Y outside of Johnson Creek to Switzke Rd. It was a very hot and humid day, and according to my calculations (find map in Mapquest, take Picture in Safari, Open it up in Photoshop, use the measuring tools to determine distance) it was about 1.9 miles one way. Stan thought it felt like over 4 miles. Both of us were pretty tired later in the day.

I have my new Macbook Pro. Except for the obvious (can't run Photoshop in Classic to use my favorite plugins and will need to run CS3--that is, when I do eventually upgrade--in Rosetta [Power PC emulation for the Intel processor] when I'm using it in "artistic mode" [i.e., when I'm making art as opposed to using it just to process photo files] in order to use even OS X compatible plugins) the computer is GREAT!

Well, that's not all. This computer is hot

What, stolen?

No, hot, really hot. We're sweating like pigs, man.

Maybe I better check the trunk for dead aliens from Roswell.

It also gets to be quite weighty on my legs, not because it's heavier (it actually seems lighter than my G4 iBook), but because of the weight distribution. All of the weight seems to be in the rear (see, it's the aliens in the trunk!) where it rests on my legs toward my knees.

They did a migration from my deceased G4 Desktop, so I have all my files, which I'm now filing away and will archive (I should've done that years ago), so all my email was set up already...none of that hassle.

I put my G4 ibook up in the retirement zone upstairs so I can use it with my 19" monitor. It works well that way.

Labels: Biking, This Boring Life

This afternoon we took Klevenville (County P) to Towne Hall Rd. outside of Mt. Horeb. I was wondering what was wrong with me, or my bike, because it kept getting harder and harder to ride it and I felt like I had to downshift all the time. It was uphill, duh...I just couldn't see it is all. I didn't know how much more it would continue uphill, so we headed back after not that long a distance. Going back we hardly had to pedal. We were trying to see how far we could get without pedaling...we *almost* made it back to where we started but not quite. It was sort of like when Kramer and the carsalesman were trying to find how long they could go without gassing up. After that ride, I felt I hadn't ridden enough...I wasn't satisfied. So in the evening we rode from home to a little pier/walk along Lake Mendota, then back across the isthmus to Lake Monona and back home. I think this is the most I've ridden in one day. Riding on city bike paths and streets is much more pleasurable energy- and comfort-wise than the limestone gravel country bike paths. But then again country bike paths have other obvious advantages.

Labels: Biking

I decided I'd keep a journal of all the bike rides I take for future reference. I sort of neglected to do that for much of the recent part of the Glacial Drumlin.

Today we went from "Popp Rd" which is SE of Lake Mills (near Aztalan), across County Rd N, underneath State Hwy 26, then it paralleled 26 for a while until it ended @ West Junction Rd. just outside of Jefferson. It was 4.5 miles round trip. Although it shows that on the official map, it doesn't show it ending abruptly like that on Mapquest, so we were really confused. I guess you can get back to it by riding on Junction Rd. and then taking Y, but that's a lot of rutty country roads with not much curb and no bike lane. So we'll skip that part and pick it up, maybe next weekend, where it begins again on Y as it heads toward Helenville, where I've never been before.

I'm really tired, probably from the Claritin I took yesterday and the Lorazepam I took last night so I could sleep from the Claritin.

Stan takes his bike in to be repaired tomorrow, my desktop computer died so I have to take it in after he gets home, and Stan has a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, so we might not get much riding in early this week. My poor computer. I have no clue what happened. It's depressing.

I know 4 and 5 mile treks may seem miniscule to many reading this, but keep in mind that I *never* rode that much even when I was in my teens and 20s and rode every day and depended on my bike as my ONLY form of transportation (other than city busses in bad weather, and of course, walking). Back then in the prehistoric ages, there weren't such things as recreational bike paths, so one just used city streets. Before starting to ride a year ago, I hadn't ridden for approx. 18 years or so. I owned no bike during that time. So it will take me quite a while, at 47, to get up to speed, as low as that speed may be.

Labels: Biking, This Boring Life

I rode the furthest today, from Riley to Klevenville on the Military Ridge State Trail. And back. Five miles total. Most days I've been hovering around 1-2 miles one way...I don't know what got into me today. It was uphill most of the way to Klevenville, and fortunately, downhill back toward Riley. It's so strange to first see these towns on a bike, rather than having discovered them first via car. Actually, they're not really towns...they're not even incorporated.

In June, I think, I rode the MRST from the trailhead outside Verona, through Fitchburg and up to Madison, and then back to the trailhead. That was about 4 miles, but that was paved. The path I rode today was all limestone gravel except for an unexplained paved part that was maybe 1/6 of a mile or so. We've been taking the MRST on weekdays after Stan gets off work because it's shorter to get there, and saving Glacial Drumlin for the weekends, since we've progressed a lot further down that one and need to drive quite a ways now to pick up where we leave off. On the second leg of our MRST trip we went west from the MRST trailhead through Verona and turned around at (Ninemound?). Day 3 we went from Ninemound Rd. to the hwy 151 tunnel, which was flooded, so we turned around and went back. Then Stan's tooth thing happened so we lost a couple weeks of biking...no fun. MRST Day 4 we parked in some pullout close to the Epic Center (giant borg that will swallow Verona...they make healthcare software) and biked back to 151, then back northwest up to Whitecrossing road, then back to our car. Saw a frog sitting in my path, but it hopped away before I could see what kind. That was a long ride for me. Then yesterday, Day 5, we went from Whitecrossing Rd. to the ?town? of Riley. We saw a pair of large cranes (Sandhill Cranes?) coming down for a landing on the Sugar River's wetlands which runs along the bike trail. At first it was so surreal, I thought it was people out in the field flying kites. They were incredible. There was also a little pull-off boardwalk on the trail where you could watch fresh spring water bubble up through the sand/mud. Today, there was another boardwalk with a guide to the various wildlife species found in the area. Lots of frogs...we'll have to come back in the spring.

It's been really nice weather for the past couple days and it should continue into the weekend, when we'll head back to Glacial Drumlin and pick up somewhere southeast of Lake Mills. The past weekends have been hot, so haven't been able to progress too far there. Next week when we go back on the MRST we'll be heading toward Mt. Horeb. I don't think I can make Klevenville to Mt. Horeb in one day. Well, I could, but it'd be a bitch going back, and the 5 miles today made me really tired and my hands were tingling from what Stan says is carpal tunnel...wonderful. It's not the actual riding which makes me tired, but my butt that really starts to hurt the last couple miles. And I'm worried the most about the sun...worried that I'll have a sunstroke. Yesterday we forgot our helmets at home, so we rode without, and although that means I got more sun on my head, I also wasn't turning as many colors as when I wear a helmet. The helmet heats up my head so much, and that's what worries me the most about trying to go really long distances. Plus I'm supposed to avoid the sun because birth control and hydrochlorothiazide meds cause photosensitivity. And I have rosacea (controlled by topical meds...no, I don't look scary). So essentially I have like 3 strikes against me. Plus I'm very light skinned. 4 strikes. I'm glad we're at a low sea elevation at least. I'd probably have collapsed from heatstroke if I was back in Colorado doing what I did today.

Labels: Biking, This Boring Life

OK, I'm going to document this because I know Stan won't (I asked him to, he didn't want to). This isn't the exact conversation as I wasn't there. It's just a recounting of what Stan recounted to me. It's just the gist:

Stan is assembling the bikes/bike rack on the back of the van.

Durhey: Wutcha doin' with that bike rack?

Stan: We're going for a bike ride.

Durhey (confused): There's places to bike in town...where are you going?

Stan: There's bike trails in the country that we use, like the one outside of Cottage Grove and one outside of Verona.

Durhey: Oh, you mean the snowmobile trails!

-----

If I wasn't there I would've explained to Durhey that snowmobiles or motorized vehicles of any kind aren't allowed on the bike trails. It's just that ya-hey kind of culture, whether it's ATVs or snowmobiles or dirt bikes that are as foreign to bicycles as I am to them.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a proficient bicyclist. Even when I was young and thin I couldn't go more than a couple miles in town without becoming extremely fatigued, and things haven't changed much. I sold my bike when I moved to Madison and didn't find any reason to get a bike for in-town use (streets are too busy and narrow and there were no bike paths when we moved here). Years ago we found a bike trail outside of town that looked intriguing. It was The Glacial Drumlin Trail, a converted railroad bed. Last year I finally bought a bicycle. It's been hard getting acclimated to it, and even though people led me to think that I'd be biking longer and longer distances, I simply can't. Last week we biked about 5 miles and it debilitated me for the rest of the week. Each time after I bike my face turns red and purple and green and yellow...yes, seriously. I know lots of peoples' faces turn red when they exercise, but mine turns into abstract art. The center of my face is red. The sides of my jaw are purple. And a swatch between my purple jawline and my red cheeks is a greenish-yellow-white stripe. Actually, that area is probably my regular normal skin tone--it just looks greenish-yellow-white because that's what a lighter color will do when placed next to purple and red (go read some color theory). The first time it happened to me was when I was 10, and outside the whole day during a class field trip on 1972 Earth Day. Classmates kept commenting on my red and white striped face. If I had blue eyes with stars in them, I would've looked like the American flag.

So we've been going for small bike rides every other day or three, a mile or two one direction, and then back. Also, there's not that much time to go much further, even if I had the stamina. Plus, even though Stan isn't exhausted like me after the bike ride, later during the day he complains how tired he is, so it's a good thing I'm his governor. We're taking the Glacial Drumlin trail in short increments. I think because it's a gravel trail it's harder for me than if it was paved. We took it from Cambridge to Ridge Rd. Then another day Ridge Rd. to Dvorak Rd. Then Dvorak Rd. almost to Deerfield (that's the ride that almost killed me). Then from Deerfield back to the spot we turned around before, then back through Deerfield to London Rd. Then today we took London Rd. to London. The next day we'll go to back to London and go the other direction.

On the first day we found a little toad on the road, fortunately I didn't run it over. Last week there were lots of wonderful smells coming from unknown wildflowers. Today we saw wild irises growing by the path. Last week we saw lots and lots of flooded fields, a lake where farmland used to be.

Durhey doesn't care about the flooded fields or the wild irises. As long as he can ride his snowmobile and whoop and hollar and shoot off his 'tater gun, life's good for Durhey.

Labels: Biking, It Takes All Kinds, This Boring Life

I simply cannot work on what I had planned on today, so here's an update on my life and thoughts as of late.

I had an eye exam last week, and to make a long story short, they suspect I *might* have glaucoma. They did a visual field test and got baseline photos of my eyes and I need to schedule another appointment in a couple months. Of course, I could just have a large optic nerve, which could resemble glaucoma. The only other indicators I have is somewhat high blood pressure, but I take medication for that. I am not dark skinned (I'm as visually white as they come), I'm not over 60, no family history, and I'm not extremely nearsighted (the eye doctor even said so...my main problem is my astigmatism), and the numbers from the pressure check are normal. I'm not explaining any of the technical aspects of this, so if this medspeak is baffling, google it. Life sucks.

Persephone is dying. I spent $400 at the vet's the other day on exam, blood tests, and subcutaneous fluids that we have to administer (no fun) to prevent her from totally dehydrating because she is eating less and less. Stan accidentally poked a muscle this morning, and she seems even more uncomfortable now, but I don't know if it's that as much as she really just wants to go. She's refusing food, and hiding in a difficult spot under the couch/futon. She will be missed, and we will have only 1 cat, Caligula, after she passes. It's been 22 years since I only had 1 cat. Persephone did make it past 16, however. Plato is now 11 and Caligula is 9. They are all Virgos, however we don't know Caligula's exact birthdate as he was a rescued stray.


I was very undecided as to whether we'd make it to Colorado this year or not. Even last night, as Persephone did seem to be responding a little better to food and the rehydration, I thought maybe she'd stabilize a bit, but it would involve having to stay home to take care of her and certainly not leaving her to be fed by our neighbors. But as I watch her now, I don't think she'll last the day.

I've been riding my bike as much as the weather and time permit, and that I do enjoy. I like finding new places to explore, but we usually have to drive to an interesting bike path and take our bikes with us. It's hard getting up to speed as I haven't ridden for nearly 20 years. They say exercise will make you feel better and less depressed. Well, physically, yes I do feel better. I feel like I have more energy, but almost too much. I'm having problems sleeping, and this happened before my diagnosis and before Persephone taking a sharp downturn. If I exercise one day, I won't be able to sleep that night. I'll be able to sleep the following night if I don't exercise. I also feel more depressed, especially on the days I exercise. I guess that's to be expected, as I seem to be a reverse reactor. If a drug or procedure or whatever is supposed to make you feel one way, it does the opposite to me...allergy medication gives me hives, marijuana makes me anything but mellow.

I'm looking forward to LOST Season 3 coming out on DVD on 9/11. It's the only thing I am looking forward to lately, and I'm not looking forward to it nearly as much as I was a few months ago before all this shit happened.

Most women when they are depressed go shopping for clothes. I buy Yankee Candles.

I watched a 20-year old Charles Manson interview on MSNBC, and now I'm convinced he is the chimp that George W. Bush was separated from at birth. The similarity in their speach patterns: cadence, phrasing, accent, is simply amazing. Close your eyes and listen to either of them and it's hard to tell them apart. I don't know what it is, it's not simply a Texan accent otherwise all Texans would sound that way and they don't. Manson didn't live in Texas that long, in fact, I can't find much about how long he was in Texas other than he was arrested there in 1960. There's something else, perhaps a messianic complex, a savior of the world, holy crusade and apocalyptic vision they both share, plus those beady little simian eyes. I just can't get over the similarities. Dan Abrams (MSNBC 8pm CDT) is showing snippets of the interview, and MSNBC may show the full hour-long interview again at some point. Watch it if you can, it's simply amazing to think about Bush while watching and listening to Manson babble. The main difference other than Manson is over a decade older and more than half a foot shorter, is he is responsible for fewer deaths. The irony of that.

Labels: Biking, Politically Incorrect, This Boring Life

I had my bicycle in storage for 18 years and bring it out to ride I find that I own some sort of cult classic bicycle? My bicycle is a Univega Gran Premio and to my surprise people are still racing with these frames and I soon found this on my Univega web search - "Women's World Cup - 5th Gran Premio Castilla y Leon Nicole Cooke wins in Spain." People are racing with these things and I learned that there are people watching places like E-Bay to bid for these bicycles as if they are looking for collectors items. I watched a Univega auction and the bicycle sold for nearly as much as I payed for mine new in 1982, but that one was in a lot better condition than mine.

When I was a sophomore in undergraduate school I owned a bright red Schwinn Letour that I bought as a sophomore in high school. I loved that bicycle, but it weighed almost 40 pounds and it made me feel like a little boy. I traded in my beautiful red Schwinn for a blue 21 pound road bicycle and soon discovered this new Univega was a thrill to ride. It was almost like a racing bicycle, less expensive than the European racing bicycles I was wishing to buy, and my new Univega was made in Japan. I think the Univega was much more affordable than any of the 21 pound European racing choices because they were new and the company probably wanted to promote interest in them. I didn't have a credit card as a sophomore in college, so having to pay cash the Univega Gran Premio was the best I could afford in 1982. I used this bicycle for transportation until 1989, when it went into storage as Ann and I moved to Wisconsin, and remained ignored until 2007.

The rear derailleur fell to pieces within a year after I first bought the bicycle and I replaced it with a Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailleur. This is probably as close as I will ever come to owning a European racing bicycle. Mostly, the Univega had been a very good ride, and this summer when Ann and I decided to start riding bicycles again I thought I should see if my old bicycle was worth fixing up for the road.

I thought my old Univega would be a forgotten make and that the Univega company was probably long gone. I understand they were reabsorbed by Raleigh and stopped making bicycles in the late 1990s. I was almost hoping that no one cared about these bicycles anymore so I could ride my old bicycle without having to worry about it or attracting any attention. This is not the case and because people are still racing with these frames I decided to spend a lot more money on a bicycle lock than I would have if these things were a forgotten make.

I guess spending more for a lock it's not that big of a deal. When I use to ride in my 20s I never had a helmet and took off all of my reflectors to make my bicycle lighter. I now have all of the reflectors back on, and the only thing I won't put back on is the kick stand. Bicycling now in my 40s I have a helmet, reflectors, 3 lights, and 2 locks, so there is a lot more equipment involved. I don't like having all of this equipment and weight, but still it is a joy to ride my old Univega Gran Premio.

Today while I was waiting at a stoplight I caught a young woman looking at my Univega with longing interest in her eyes - I guess I unknowingly bought a classic when I was 25 years younger. I smiled very briefly at her and went on my way as soon as the light changed. Whether other riders are interested or shun my Univega I'm very happy I still have this one to ride to work and for fun.

Ann bought a new Trek bicycle when I took mine in to be repaired and I'm excited that we can go for bicycle ridding together again.

Look at the lettering on this bicycle.

Labels: Biking, This Boring Life