Winter Goings-On

So, as usual, the racing winds down and so do my blog posts. Cause, well, that's the most interesting thing I do! But I think it is time for a mundane update.

School wound down okay, and I actually got really good grades. Suuuuper happy that I decided to not take the Wintermester class that I was thinking about. I need a break! So mostly it's just be lots of training, and lots of eating, too, which ain't such a bad thing, really. Except, yeah, I got sick on Thursday night, lame. Not super sick, but sick enough that I want to lay low and make sure I don't end up with some gnarly flu or something. So a few days off the bike, and then right back to it! Not bad timing, exactly, since the weather hasn't been conducive to outdoor bike riding, and I'm running out of movies to watch on the trainer.

Cody's back in MA. The novelty of having the house to myself wears off surprisingly quick and then I start really wishing he'd come back. He's just gone for a couple of weeks, tho, so no biggy. I'll be busy between now and then. And at the end of it all I have the Velo Bella training camp to look forward to! I almost didn't go, since it's a good 7 hour drive, but I think it'll be great riding and lots of fun to see the team, and maybe meet some new teammates, too. Sadly, school starts the day after I get back.

I think it's time for New Years resolutions, which I think are kinda stupid, but which I seem to make anyway, every year. This year's? Cut out the white sugar, except when I'm biking and I'm drinking Cytomax or eating Gu or whatever. I've preemptively started on this resolution and I'm feeling pretty good about it. I've also started drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar each day. It's truly vile, but I've heard from so many people who say it really helps their immunity and digestion. That's not a resolution, tho, I'm just giving it a try. I guess my New Year's resolution is just to be healthier all over. Physically and mentally, and especially in my relations to others. Maybe that's just the part of me, a part that we all have, hoping to be a better person. Blah blah blah, sappy, yeah, I'm done with it.

Here's some pictures from our rainy and freezing and soaking wet ride on Auburn last sunday. It was soooo much fun! Except for the cold. For once, Cody was colder than me! Unheard of!

After the ride, putting muddy bikes on the car.

Muddy legs - I think Cody was colder because he didn't have shoe covers.

Awesomely epic singletrack.

Happy.

Kittays

So, I'm pretty boring, so I'm gonna blog about my cats. Yesterday Cody spilled a bunch of cat nip on the floor and they pretty much freaked out. In the top picture you can see them getting all silly eating it (oh, just for reference, the orange one is Little Bit and the grey one is Big Kitty - sweet names, huh?). And then on the bottom one you'll see Little Big rolling around in it being all agro and cracked out. Coincidentally you also get a nice view of my pink Schwalbe Ultremo tires.

Lots of riding, but none interesting enough to talk about. Well, I did some long easy-ish hill interevals yesterday morning up Geigar Grade. It was about 23 degrees out (that's farenheit, folks) so I pretty much thought I was going to die. Like, the sweat on my neck froze solid. Or that's what it felt like anyway. And NOAA is calling for snow alllll weekend. I guess that's winter! Even though it's not yet . . .

Nothin' New

Yep. Uh huh. Pretty much.

That about sums up the excitement level of life right now. I've been getting lots of base miles in, no cyclocross racing, no travelling, lots of work, work, school, school, work more, still can't pay rent. But not this weekend! No, this weekend I'm getting the hell out of Reno! I'm going to San Francisco to visit with my very bestest friend Lindsay. I'm going to make her come with me to the Sheila Moon warehouse sale in Oakland, where I will further inhibit my ability to pay rent. Then, I dunno, food an drinks, and some riding townies around GGP on Sunday. No cross racing for me! Nope! Because on Monday I'm going to Whole Athlete in Marin for my MSS test (the real reason why I have no rent money) and I'm supposed to be rested. Yep, I hired a coach. But the real question is going to be - can I train lots (enough to justify my $150/mo coaching bill) and race my bike and work and volunteer at a convalescent hospital cooking meals once a week and pass the 17 credits that I'm currently enrolled in for next semester??? That, my friends, is the $64,000 question. I'm no overacheiver, and I'm definitely not so good at keeping the balance, so this will indeed by a challenge. Honestly I'm not sure I'd be taking this many credits but they're threatening a 50% tuition increase next year so I really want to get done!!! Hopefully my Genetics class isn't as hard as it sounds, because I have a feeling A&P will be even worse than I'm expecting.

In other news . . . uhhh, I have no other news. No pictures, no funny anecdotes, nothing. I think I'll take the dog for a walk, then ride my bike to school, then work. Tonight I'll pack my shizit in my car, and tomorrow I'm off! Sans doggy, sadly, but the kitty at Lindsay's house thought he was going to eat Riley for dinner the last time I was in SF, so I think it's best if I leave him in Cody's care.

But never fear! Next weekend I am racing 'cross, and I will surely write a highly entertaining report shortly thereafter.