Why is Hell so cold this time of year?

First off, i just wrote a killer blog, then the computer rebelled and turned off. man, karma or something.

WHEN I GET REALLY NEGATIVE, I LOOK ACROSS THE STREET:

As you all gaze up into the snow-capped mountains, or as you sat your your dinner table watching the hail fall and thinking of the wonder and heaven-like land up in the hills, YOU WERE WRONG!!!

And this is why

All the IDIOTS!!!

You see people who live in the mountains are smart, know what snow is, understand the physics and concept of ice and tires, and they wear boots. People who live down below, otherwise known as Flat LAnders, are dumb, and should stay below 2,000 ft or where ever the snowline is. THEY are the ones that made the winter wonderland into a cold, snowy, icy hell, run by CalTrans.

In the history of this place, mountain folk have never been required to chain up. THe gods of CHP and Caltrans took it upon themselves to make history this weekend, and enforce the chain law. Out of control. I had already borrowed an AWD Subaru, then had to borrow chains, which broke at 9pm when everything was closed and WalMart was soled out and then i drove to San Bern to get chains that were just a bit too big and when i was testing them the borrowed car dumped a pint of "something" on the driveway of someone i barely knew in high school.

So, i chained up, or cabled up, drove past the CHP over the hump in the road, pulled over, took the chains off and drove home easier than any snow storm last year!!!

To say the least, all cycling options were thrown to the wolves. I shoveled, A lot, hunted for chains under the house, under the bed, in the yard, never to be found.

Then we went sledding. THis should be a professional sport. We hiked through 1.5 feet of powder to a secret spot where the sledding was pristine.

Sled of choice: Target Boogie Board, sprayed with silicon. Awesome.

Dozer ran with every sled and beat most of them to the bottom. He also worked as a good pulling dog. Check them out:

Uriah, Jason and Dozer, ready to sled!
Jason "ridin the bull" check out Dozers ears!
Uriah, what more could a 7 year old want?
Getting a pull home in the snow

Thanx, Girls!

And yes, there is about 3 inches of snow in Forest Falls

SO....

As you know, i lose everything. In the near past i lost the digital camera, which of course was awful. After tearing apart the house (where i found other things i had lost) and the car, and the office, nothing. But then the Girls Kaitlin and Mindy, cleaned the office on friday. YOu see, Kaitlyn is Jan's daughter who is my boss who shares our single-wide trailor/office together!! They found it!!!! This is a little shot they took of themselves!!

FONDUE: I promised you a picture.. Shelli, Heidi (the birthday girl) and me, duh

FLOODING: The flooded road that made me late to work a few weeks back

DESTRUCTOR: For Dozers birthday i gave him a little toy with feet, which he took off in about 32 seconds

Breaking the Trend

I know, it is not Sunday, so i am breaking the trend. I have a few other trends that i am working on breaking, like the reinstatement of everything 80's, but that will take time.

This is Koho and Glacier. Missing from the photo is Sherpa, the third Husky that belongs to Jeremy and Suzanne!! They are my brother and his wife from Colorado. Perhaps they will be racing at the national in Aspen, little Family Podium time! Jeremy is Cat 3, Expert Mtn, Suzanne has taken the year off to crash through nursing school, but usually hammers it out at the road races! They kinda run a team out there Blue Sky Velo which is pretty cool! It used to be Acme Racing.

RACE FLASHBACK: CASTAIC, 2005

Yup, thats Shelli and I on one of our HUGE very important Beginner races! Oh how things have changed!!!! That course was not my favorite by any margin and well i am glad it is at the end of this years racing season! I just remember climbing, climbing some more, then descending. THen we just did it again. This race got my feet wet for Sea Otter, which was much needed!Now i just have to find my cool Jose Ole half-hat in my closet again!! Hopefully, i can stand on the podium at this years Castaic race too!!

Isn't it Ironic, don't you think?

Jason has a theme song for me. Its from the late 70's or early 80's, have no idea what it is actually called, but when i get in a tizzy, he just starts singing "ahhh, FREAK ou!!!" So I told Christie and Nicole about this on our way back from a delightful girl's brunch in Claremont (Christies bday) and then it CAME ON THE RADIO!!

You see i was having a near freak-out week.

TUESDAY: Mudslides in Forest Falls, couldn't leave because I HAD NO JEEP which could have made it across the debri in and THEN the little g-ride pickup truck i am borrowing ran out of gas, because, well i was probably freaking out.

WEDNESDAY: Lost, misplaced, whatever, my digital camera in either home/school/car/gym bag. yah, thats cool.

THURSDAY: I locked an unsuspecting Grandma in the girls locker room when we went outside to run the mile. She had to call the front office and inform them of her entrapment. That was awful. I was quite ashamed of my inappropriate behavior.

SATURDAY: Driving this loaner car and all, i forgot to turn the head-lights off when i got to GFE for our little group ride. When i returned over 4 hours later, the battery was excessively dead.

SUNDAY: I was 20 minutes late to Christies for our trip to Fontana to do some mountain biking. This is because, well, i am always late, and i left my leg warmers in my office, brilliant. Then, already on the 10, i blank and feel as if my cycling shoes were left at the house. Back at the house i find clarity and realize that they were snug in the back of Christies car the whole time. I must say, Christie has emense patience, and i will make a birthday oath to her to cease my tardiness...

Oh yes, on the way home, i re-chipped my front tooth. You see, in college i had an issue with my pavement driveway. I wasnt wearing a helmet (genious I know, i was just going to class..)which meant i split my forehead open, and my chin, and chipped the majority of my three front teeth out. Today, a big chunk fell off the right one, probably when i was eating a nerd rope. Now you can't tell from far away, but it probably looks grey or irridescent.

DOZER:
Is ONE YEAR OLD! It is his birthday today and we celebrated with an invigorating round of frisbee and wound cleaning. He can actually catch the frisbee in flight! At least he did once, but all the other times it just hits him in the face and we laugh.

His mom, the neighbor dog, if pregnant, so if you have been very jealous of my dog, you can buy your own.

CYCLING:

Of course i got some excellent riding in this weekend! Finally back on track, but hurting. On the saturday ride i went to that place i have never really gone before, which lasted well into the ride, then abruptly stopped. Then i had to will my legs home. But at least that "place" is there, and attainable. Quite exciting actually.

Sunday was Fontana with Christie working on technical descents and those quick climbs. The weather has been very kind to the course, so go check it out quick before it gets too dusty!

Poor Pet, Part 2

DOZER got bit. Not by a rabid racoon or a saber-toothed squirl. But by Rot-mix up the street. There are two perfect puncture wounds. Not too deep, but not too shallow either. He whimpered all nights, his ego is probably hurt too. Maybe a trip to the vet on Monday.

COMMENT OF THE DAY:

"In the spring, by the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." This is posted outside the Fallsvale School in Forest Falls. Pretty much my new moto for life. I might as well adopt it since it is already a reality.

SHORT TRACK:

So, i guess when i go to SEA OTTER, i will be doing the Short Track event. So i hit up SOUTHRIDGE for the Short track race. There were 6 of us! Teri was the only other chick there, and Eddie Arnet (mountain bike action dude) led the pack. I ended up on the podium with him and some other experts, we were all put together. What a dream come true!

The race was really fun! Very low key, perfect for my first one. Teri and i hit up the XC course for a lap which of course was a lot of fun too! Lots of good technical decsents to work on, and i didn't eat it at all. Killer.

Funny thing is that i left my helmet in the woods, oops. Problem with being a mountain hermit is that when something is left at home, there is no retrieval until the evening. I have bought about 5 pairs of flip-flops because i go for rides before a day on the town, and then i have no shoes to wear. The last pair were pink with green alligators on them. Jason hates them. So i wear them every day.

I stopped by Shelli's house uber-early and bummed one off her. Now that is a true friend. She said the perspiration wouldn't be so bad because i have spit on her and snotted on her. This is true.

SICK:

Everybody is sick, so sometimes i feel like i am too. So today i am going to grab some Airborne, Emergen-C, and garlic. You have to eat garlic when you feel ill, really. Mix it up with some fresh lemon and if you are really ambitious, put some cayanne pepper in there, and you will be fixed. True story!

FONDUE:

I went to a fondue party last night. There was cheese and chocolate, all i would ever want in a meal. Hosted by Shelli and Tara, for Heidi R. This was pretty cool, end delicious! Fruit and vegetables for dinner and some fake meat (this was Loma Linda), very low-carb. Pictures to come!

BASKETBALL:

Oh yes, we lost. But those girls from Calimesa are going to state Finals. Good work ladies. I will be cheering from my bike.

BACK:

I broke up with my chiropractor because he made me hurt and hung me in one of those rack things. I also broke up with my massage lady because she sucked. And now, i went where i should have gone in December, to the wise physical therapist. Now i didnt actually go to my primary care physician, that would take about a month. I just dug into my friend pool and found Mr. Bennie - thank you Katrina for sharing your husband.

Word is my pelvis is tweaked and my sacro-iliac joint messed up and the hamstring insertion and glutes medius over worked. I just like to talk smart, no idea what i said, but i know what it feels like. THings are balancing out though and now it just hurts its not painful. Huge difference. I can tie my own shoes now and pick toys up off the floor. yippee!!

Happy riding!

Finally, its WINTER

DOZER:

i always thought Dozer was white with a few coffee spots on him. But then it snowed. He now has a yellow hue, like he got peed on.

Yesterday he snuck off into the snow. Although he is not a jumper like others, he thinks he is a child and should be aloud to play with the neighborhood kids. He loves to chase the kids down the street on their sleds and maul them when they fall. But this time, he really snuck off. I was down the hill and got a phone call from the breeder (they live 2 houses down) that the other neighbors were with Animal Control and Dozer was in the truck. I FREAKED OUT! Then they told me he was actually riding in the FRONT seat with the Animal Control Lady, which is actually hilarious. He looks like impending doom, yet he is just a little snuggle bunny. I guess one neighbor called Animal Control on another one who starves their dog, leaves it tied up with no water, etc, and Dozer was just helping out. End of the long story was he spend the better part of the day IN THE SNOW and tied to his Dads chain outside their house. He was shivering at point, but he will recover, in like a month.

JEEP:
I bought a 4x4 so that i could safely manuver the trecherous mountain roads in the winter. Funny thing, when weather hits, the jeep is always in the shop. Oh the irony. I traded the Bronco for a little pickup, which is awful in the snow. So i stole the Subaru back from Jason for my trips down the hill. The chains are nowhere to be found, so first gear it is, slidding everywhich direction. There are huge "CHAINS REQUIRED" signs and very important CalTrans workers trying to inforce these rules. But I have a Subaru they think it is all-wheel-drive. ITS NOT!!! But i tell them it is, go on my merry way, and try not to run into things, pets, or people. Gotta love the sub.

Do you want my jeep????!!!!

BIKES:
I have been on leave from the bike, hopefully back on tomorrow. I am trying to tame my wild back before D-day in April. Things are working better, but not where they should.

Changes:
After a hiatus and time with Backbone, i have gone back to the guys at Jose Ole. So once again i can work for CalTrans if i choose in the bright orange.

NEW CYCLIST:
Griffyn turned 1 and my brilliant sister hooked him up with a "bike" GOOD GIRL!!!! He doesnt like his helmet, but that will come!

Could i have some DRAMA with that, please?

FOR SALE: 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I won't tell you why, because then you won't buy it!! But really, if you have someone in mind or someone you don't particularly care for, tell them to buy my Jeep. I will throw in the bike rack for free! What a deal!

As you can see from the title of my post, my life has been encased with DRAMA. from the Jeep breaking down in Moreno Valley, waiting 2 hours for a freaky tow truck man (have you EVER ridden with a third shift tow-truck driver??????!!!!!!!) $120 to get the car to Redlands....UGH

STAND-IN: I have a really nice boss who has a really nice husband who has been letting me use his cars since last Wednesday. Here is the one i have now...it is the car of my high school dreams, i always wanted this truck!!! But it is a three-on-the-tree meaning you have to shift on the steering column, something i had to have a driving lesson yesterday to figure out! I felt like i was 16 again.

BIKING: Pretty chill lately due to basketball playoffs and work and a lot of back pain. I did sneak in a ride at Fontucky during last weekends race, with Mandy Eakins and Carolyn Popovic, yet another daunting day on the bike. They are super cool though and we spent a large amount of our time cheering on the racers and scoring their wrecks. OF course everyone got a ten and a round of cheers.

CHARMS: Here at school, we have had a Korean exchange group here and one of the little girls hooked me up with a cell phone charm today! (Yes, that is my archaic phone...) The 8th grade girls and I decided to name her Tawanda after the character in Fried Green Tomatoes old school i know. We also have a running bet that She will be destroyed within a week.

Ouch

BASKETBALL: We will start with the more simple subject to discuss. We had our 2nd to last league game last night against those crazy girls from Calimesa. They are dominating league, and usually us. (Remember our "devistating" loss to them by at least 30) However, it was sneior night last night - flowers, tears, stat recalls, you know the deal. We were LEADING the game at one point and ended up losing by ONLY 9 POINTS! The closest any team in league has gotten to them. They also pressed the whole game and basically played their starters. It was a huge victory in many ways. We have one league game to go them off to play-offs where the drama definately continues!!

CYCLING: This could take awhile. But i will do my best to be brief.

THE EVENT - Boulevard Road Race, somewhere near San Diego
THE GOAL - Do really good, duh.
MODIFIED GOAL - Not to finish last, create a mtn bike allie (more later) and to pick some people off. Oh yah, and to not quit.

RUN-DOWN:
Wake-up time: 2:45 am
Drive time: A bit under 3 hours
Race Time: Around 2 hrs 20 minutes (round it up to 3 hours...ha)
Mountain Bikers Present: 10, i think. Wimberly, House, Eakins, Pleiss, Flaherty, Strayer, Bono, Throop, Me, and Popovic. All those, except me and super-Throoper, are pro now OR SHOULD BE....Eakins even went as far as wearing her CamelBak and came in 7th, probably made a roadie or two mad. Flaherty made a solid 5th finish, as the highest finishing mtn bike chick.
Recap: Once I saw all the girls who dominate on the dirt, i knew i would have a delightful day. It was actually really cool to see the girls of dirt again, all of who i totally enjoy and respect. I started in the middle with everyone else, but about half way into that first lap, there cadence picked up and i couldnt hang. This is when i modified my goal for the day and began making friends and working together to pick people off. We decided that it was $30 group ride with a bunch of crazy girls. I picked up Throop, expert mountain biker. I knew that she would be a good one to work with for two reasons: Make an allie for the season (we will probably be racing against each other quite a bit), and find her weaknesses. However, she ended up being a cool kid(17) and she would walk all over any of my high school PE kids. I am always so impressed by the Juniors. I coasted a few times after some climbs so that she could grab onto my wheel again. Thus the low motivation to catch the pack. At this point, it was better to work with someone than to hammer it out on my own. She ended up dropping back on a climb, and me and another girl kept going. Sara, my new friend, flatted with 3 miles to go, leaving to "finish" on my own only to be met by the little mountain bikers. They said this race was slower than most or just different, which could of course be blamed on the mtn girls.

The whole day was quite an eye-opener for what i need to work and where i am actually at. I just have to remind myself what i was doing this time last year: NOTHING so then i dont feel so bad.

I think i thought about dropping out more in this race than in all mountain bike races combined. But of course i didn't, and i never really got the urge to do so, just the thought.

Unfortunatly, since i had to come back and coach, i didn't get a nap, much of a cool down or stretch. My legs were cramping the entire game and i didn't even get home until 10:30 PM!!

Time managment.....hmmmm......
Dozer and I are off for a hike and then another nap!

Reunion

My little friend Griffyn returned! He is on his way, slowly, back to New Zealand. We had a delighful lunch together where he actually fed me 3 crackers. He really did!
Three Generations, all at once! Mom, me, the little guy, and my sister Julene!
This is Uriah. Do not be afraid, he is just showing off his newly lost tooth. The one next to it was soon to follow. One day i will post a picture of him and his dad Jason, he you will see why we call him Mini-Me

Another Day Off

The children have been released from school for yet another holiday. This one is intitled "Semester Break" which means all the kids are just slacking off somewhere cool like Mammoth or Laguna, leaving us teachers here to slave away on our grades, where i try to recall to the best of my recollection of Suzie Q was actually in her PE uniform on November 16, who really knows.

BASKETBALL:
Here is the much-awaited update on the Bulldogs girls basketball team We are sitting strong in 3rd place for league, boasting a 10-7 overall record, 3-2 in league. We had a devistating loss on Saturday night at the hands of 2005 league champs, Mesa Grande, located in the high caliber town of Calimesa (runner up, of course, is Mentone).

DOZER:

Is still my favorite dog, ever.

SNOW:

Yah right, this is all we got. The only excitement was Wednesday when it took 30 minutes to go 3 miles due to the ill-prepared CalTrans who left our roads without sand way too long. Result - Trash truck in the ditch, short school bus sideways in the road, one head on collision with both cars totalled, one PT cruiser in a tree and numerous other things sliding out of control. Pretty entertaining actually and it gave the very popular Forest Falls Fire Department the time to shine.

GROUP RIDES:

First off, they freak me out. Nobody introduced themselves, so I had no idea who these people were. I recognized Colleen from spin class after about 45 minutes and of course I had the usual wing-men of Christie, Jill and Bev. There were about 10 men and 11 women, pretty strong showing. Problem is, you never really know who is truly strong, just a "clydsdale" and ends up at the bottom of the hill first on the descent and last on the climb, who is rude and who hates young girls who decide to randomly show up for a Saturday morning ride. I found myself on the lower end of the age continuum which i soon realized was BAD, you always HAVE to respect the older female rider, they can throw down like none other. I have come to believe that the years of working, bearing and raising children and dealing with idiot men have molded these women into creatures that i not only idolize, but fear.

It ended up being a very splendid ride and the people were actually really cool, except for the guy who wouldnt even hold the door open for me at McDonalds (poty break SWEAR) or even look at me. I wanted to ask him "Hey, werent you just sucking my wheel for the last 45 minutes, at least you let ladies go first in that situation." But of course i just got out of the way.

MASSAGE:

I have kept this a secret for quite some time, as I do my ACTUAL training hours/workouts. I can not afford my arch-enemies the pleasure of knowing my weaknesses or strengths, but this one diserves discussion.

Since the week before Christmas i have had fantastic lower back pain. I attributed this to the longer rides, cold, not enough minerals in my diet etc. But now it has come to the point that a sneeze or cough and land me on the floor it hurts so bad. I also can not pick basketballs or other PE implements up off the floor, it is just too far away and i can't get there, so i usually kick it at some kid and make them carry them for me. But i got fed up, so Sunday instead of riding, i decided to go to a massage therapist.

Now at this establishment i had to be cleared by the overseeing Chiropractor before the massage, and OF COURSE i need to schedule an adjustment.

In I go for the massage. She was yawning the whole time, talking about her runny nose and how the picture on the wall makes her tired. She could not find a single knot on my body! She finally found ONE in my calf and proceeded to mutilate it. She then informed me that my right shoulder was higher than my left and that my spine was crooked. No its not! That is just called BAD POSTURE!!! She did find a gaggle of knots though, UNDER my scapula! She made me put my arm back as if i was going to be cuffed and proceeded to stick her little fingers under my shoulder blade. Thanx for that.

I signed up for an HOUR and when she found nothing, she cut me short at 40 minutes. Then when i signed out they only charged me for 30 minutes.Whatever. Are you supposed to TIP a massage lady? I went to a houty-touty one in the Napa Valley, and it was required. But i thought laundry quarters would be rude, and too much.

Speaking of laundry - i am headed out Hulda Crooks for some hill intervals and then over to the Mentone laundry mat, coolest place in town.

He's a Walker!

Little Nephew Griffyn is now walking! I guess he made his first big steps on Monday and hasn't stopped! He is about 11 months old i believe, so not bad!

Checking in, checking out

This is the FIFTH blog attempt! I keep deleting, closing browsers and otherwise destroying my art work! They were all REALLY good too. A few puns, some photos, lots of links, which i just learned to do, but alas, i am left with a clean slate.

I am also DONE. It is 6:30pm on the nose and i am checking OUT. The wind storm last night left with two hours of sleep to go forward into an extreme day. The night tortured me with visions of the previously destroyed cabin here in FF during the last storm. As the branches smacked against all sides of my square, i almost slept on the floor with Dozer, where our only hope for survival would be that the bed and dresser would brake the fall of the timbers as the crashed to the floor.

I got to go to spin at 5am, where i always have to show my best. Then i did some serious abs, cause what else to do on my day off? Lifted some weights, then headed to work where I promptly lost my coffee on my desk and almost had a huge "issue". I then began basketball practice with all the flowers and princesses from my work, where i had to run with them because we only had nine.

After this, i washed my mountain bike and met up with Christie for a Crafton/Wash ride for about 2 hr 15....completing my 3 total hours for the week...wink wink...

But now i am SOOOO tired! I ate, stretched, showered, stretched, ate, and i am just not comfortable yet. So, im going to bed. Hopefully i will rise ON TIME to iron work clothes, coaching clothes, eat breakfast, make lunch and snack and dinner all before departing at 6:55am!

Outside

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: "Being bored is sooooo exhausting!" Jason

LOW POINT: Mentone Stater Bros packed with people. I got hit with carts twice in the isle and three times in the checkout line! Very disturbing!!!

I am now teaching outside for PE, we started softball. This will increase my ever-growing "special tan" and probably give me melanoma. But since this is killer weather, its actually pretty nice. I just sit on the bleachers, tell girls what to do and eat snacks. awesome.

HOW TO SPEND A DAY OUT WITHOUT SPENDING ANY MONEY:

Jason and I both scored big time in the gift card area for Christmas. Here's a little run-down of day out on the town for two adults and one child

LUNCH: Mill Creek Cattle Company (i know, the B and all, but i just got a grilled cheese) $20.00 - the food is cheap

COFFEE: Starbucks (I DO NOT support this particular Monopoly - they are the only American Company in New Zealand that DOES not support the local economy - all products are shipped in from the US.) BUT...2 Venti delicious drinks and a small hot chocolate - a lot left on that card.

ENTERTAINMENT: Best Buy - 4 DVD's purchased, about $0.30 left!

BASIC: Home Depot - Although Jason's brother and sister work at LOEW'S you got to go with what people hook you up with! Jason got work gloves and a hammer for under $50.00.

WEEKEND OUTING: Claim Jumpers Half of dinner for four paid for!

So thank you to my anonymous sponsors for making life a bit more comfortable!!

CYCLING: I only ride about 3 hours a week......

Now here's the real story. Hopefully my arch enemies stopped at the above line, thinking I am defeated, over weight and un-motivated. We have created a dynamic group of women riders that are becoming quite exciting. Besides talking about boys, food and sleep, we actually get some good riding in!

Saturdays ride took about 5 hours with Teri, Christie, Jill and myself. I saw some new turf and we all enjoyed the clean area and warm weather.

Sunday we added Toni to the mix and Jill rode elsewhere with husband Art. But we also collected 5 boys. They are scary sometimes, but they behaved very nicely. Vey polite and they even rode clean-up, incase someone at the end of the group needed to be "cleaned up" or scrapped off a rock or two.

Then to spin class this morning. This is the most daunting of my duties, ever. Rising at 4:30am is just not natural. But when i arrived, it ended up that i had 23 students! Pretty steller showing! I was so motived that i may have overworked myself, but in the end, tomorrow is a rest day.

Mountain Life

Hello Friends and non-friends (i know you are stalking me...)

Happy New years!

NON-SNOW:
I think we actually getting what they call "weather" up on the hill today. I had to vacate in the NON-rare event that if I stayed over night the over-saturated boulders/sand/dirt/trees would make their inevitable desent to Valley of The Falls Road and block us Hobbits from leaving. It happened a few times last year, and well, i really need to be at work tomorrow. bummer though. When i left there was debri all over the roads, snow on the wind-sheild and heaving sleet falling.

FLASHBACK:
Last year was my first winter in Forest Falls. I was driving a front wheel drive Subaru wagon, pretty killer if you ask me. I came upon a perilous situation late one evening in January. There was a whopping 1 1/4 inch of snow on the ground and i was being pounded with relentless flurries. My time in eastern Washington gave me the much needed skills of snow driving. However, as i accended the mountain, i saw cars off to the side, mangled in trees (not really) but there was this guy about my age who was walking, so of course, since i am a hippee and all, i gave him a ride. At about the Elkhorn Store i decided I really needed to chain up. Since i am proficient in everything, i can do it myself, 3 minutes, like a flat fix. But to keep my passenger entertained, i asked him if he could give me a hand. It was snowing you know. He said NO and walked up the road.

NEW YEARS FUN:
I hit up a Backbone ride! I got up at 5:30am on the 1st! To drive all the way to Van Nuys where i could meet up with the other riders. We did the Santa Monica mountain thing, Topanga or Tehachapi, whatever, you have probably been there. But it was great! They kept telling me the ocean was right there, but i think it was just some more city. It was super foggy, at least not raining, so i had no clue where we actually were. Awesome ride though! Excellent mix of technical, climbs, and descents. It was great to go with people that know it so well so they could give me the heads up on all the poopy sections!

PROBLEM: I used to love and go out and play in the fog up in the Napa Valley but here, it is Toxic Fog like "Roy the Toxic Boy" (On excellent story by Tim Burton). I think that my skin may be damaged now.

LOW POINT: My basketball players thought i was aTEENY BOPPER!!!!!! They thought I listened to music like Britney Spears, Kelli Clarkston ETC... I was appauled! Why couldn't they think i listened to Bette Midler or Amy Grant? THAT would be more respectable! Just because I teach them and am exposed to all the horrific things they believe to be entertainment and that i can sing every song on the radio, does not make me a teeny bopper! I am going to TOTALLY have to revamp my image, like, this sucks!

Holiday STUFF

WE WENT TO FLORIDA, FOR A LITTLE HOLIDAY FUN!! I will post a total family picture when i get it from Pops!

So, if you don't want to see or hear about my family or my trip, go elsewhere! Jason and I made the mistake of flying Southwest, more on that later. I will keep my verbage short (Sometimes, I talk to much....)



PICTURE #1: Saturday Hike in the Swamp - we found a GATOR! Yes it was real, and no it didn't eat any of us!!

PICTURE #2: 4 Hours of canoeing on the Wekiva Springs We saw no Gators, but a Heap of Turtles! If you ever want to know how a person "really" is, take them canoeing in snake/gator infested water with a nasty current...


PICTURE #3: Christmas day at Daytona Beach The crazy boys went in the water, Suzanne and I decided to ride the Huffy Beach Cruisersdown the beach...in jeans and no shoes....(the only riding in ...... days)

PICTURE #4: The "3 J's" being normal. Joy - can't keep her eyes open EVER, so hlepful big brother Jeremy does it for her. big sister Julene just wants us to stop.

PICTURE #5: Jason, Chucky, and Rouru at the beach. Jason got a Rugby shirt from New Zealand for Christmas, so he wears it every day, along with his HAT from the BOOT BARN. Freak. The BOYS are from the Cook Islands Google it if you have no clue - but they live, with sister Julene (she is married to Rouru, father of Chucky) in Palmerston North, NZ
PICTURE #6: Griffyn (yes, he is a mythical figure. Kinda like a Liger. HE is a mix between an Eagle - American, and a Lion - His pops. I was teaching him how to play in the sand.

PICTURE #7: Julene and Me being 16 again. We took a shot like this by the parents pool about 9 years ago, but we can't find it. this is the new and improved us!

Poor Pet

Starter Shot: How big is YOUR kitchen sink? Mine is debatably smaller than my bathroom sink. So the next time you feel bad about emptying your HUGE dishwasher, think about ME. Every dish that is cleaned here passes through this sink with my hands attached. They are rinsed here, washed here, rinsed again. I think i can put 5 bottles in it at one time, but then they are stuck. And yes, most everything else in the house is on the small-scale.


SICK BOY: A tribute to Social Distortion. Check out the little guys muscles and his ENORMOUS TONGUE!!! Thus, the name, SICK BOY!
I am officially on HOLIDAY, so i get to do neat domestic things, ride my bike, and play with DOZER. I realized he does nothing, has a very boring life, and needed some interaction. The following is a photo and written account of... DOZER'S DAY WITH THE MAMA.

It all began with Dozer on the bed. He either sleeps here (thus the sheet over the sheet), by the front door, in the kitchen, or in the middle of the floor. But he does, nothing else. (Unless handlbars are close by, but that's another day).

I decided to load up the jeep with bike and dog, head down to sunny Loma Linda for a little Hulda Crooks action. Notice he looks strong, eager, and ready to go...
He started out strong, leading the way on the single track. He kicks up a huge amount of pebbles and small stones as well as dust, so i tried to keep some space. The fastest we got together was 14.7 MPH, pretty good for a 10 month old Puppy!
However, once we reached the bottom of Jedi, he was DONE. He would burrow under a bush just to get cool and find the 8 blades of grass to lay on. Poor creature. This is when he began to hate me...As we were coming back towards the park, i spotted a nasty little COYOTE!! i Know Dozer can and will pack a punch, but to put him to the test when he is so fatigued and worn out just wouldn't be fair. So i pulled out my 9 and got rid of the Coyote. Just kidding. We just waited a few minutes and kept going.
But, we got all the way back. We only did 4 miles, but that was the longest, hardest thing he has ever done! He had slobber all the way back to his ears, his eyes were bloodshot and it looked like he had a Santa Beard, there was so much slobber on his chin. I had to pull it off with multiple sticks. It made me throw up in my mouth. Joking. It is now all over the back seat of the Jeep. I guess it was his form of payback.

The next stop on Dozer's Day Out was my work for a little girls basketball practice. The little monster found his second wind! He chased the girls as they squealed and ran faster, he stole the ball and licked it 85 times, he spun out and slid across the floor. All the time, still panting. He hasn't stopped!

So, i put him in the other PE teachers office. We could hear his cries for help and feel his hatred towards me. He kept jumping up so he could see us, what a freak!
He is now napping on the floor, and in the near future i will take him into the shower because he is disgusting! At least he is extremely dosile right now, pretty much won't put up a fight!

That's it, the day for my poor little pet.

Christmas Non Cheer

So Christie beat me to the training update, so now I can't make grandious overstatements of our physical capabilities. Thanx. We hammered in the cold saturday up and down and up again and around Crafton, quite delightful actually. Then Sunday we opened a can on the road. We were heading to Riverside, without a map....at Montecito Cemetary, we heard wheels approach, and none other than former Little League All-Stars, from the St.Helena Bunch (my brother pitched for them in 1990) Tito and Zack showed up. Back in the 80's i wasn't cool enough of big enough to hang out with these guys, but this time, they let me ride with them! We all headed to out and picked up Toni who i had met on Sunset a year or so back, so it was great to ride with another high-caliber chick! We were coersed (sp) into doing several hills, but thats ok.

We ended up out for around 5 hours. I think this was the longest road ride i have done in, oh about MY WHOLE LIFE! But it was good. If Christie haden't been there, i would have quit at about 3 hours. We did talk about food a lot and the races we are most scared of, have the gnarliest single track, how we met our men, what color and cut of shorts are most flattering, you know, the usaul ride banter.

BUT THEN...I had to teach spin today. I am SO over that! I actually had to tell them I was taking it easy today. Usually I pretend, but today I have a head cold and was uber sore, so i had to really chill. I have to get rid of that gig.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK: (lAST WEEK) Spoken by a Senior Female: "Ms. Duerksen, is there snow at your house in Big Bear?" "I don't know, i don't live there." "Oh, cause i REALLY want to go snowboarding." "Oh cool. We could go check online." "That's ok, I just want to dress up like i am GOING snowboarding, they look SOOOO cute! I would never actually DO it! It is way too cold!" "Well, the Lodge is probably open....."

WHITE ELEPHANTS: i will be going to my 3rd White Elephant party in Florida. First one was with the co-workers at Teacher Play Time as I like to call it. Thanx again for the stellar bobble-head guys, it totally works with my decore. Then last night, we went to Jason's family party where the theme was gift cards. Highlight of the evening: The torture a junior high boy goes through as his uncle takes his Best Buy card. The kid yelled out "Its not even a store for ADULTS!!!!!!" We all just laughed. I have yet to see an actual elephant at one of these things, and actually, i hope I don't.

BOOT BARN: This store ROCKS! Especially if you ever hit up the Branding Iron....anyways, Jason needed new work boots. This took like an hour. There are SO many types, style blah blah blah of work boots! just BUY ONE! Sorry. Then he got all stoked on some cowboy Australia type hat, then wanted a bolo tie and big belt buckle, but I made him stop at the hat. BUT...we may have met a celebrity. The girl who was behind th counter had a pie-plate of belt buckle that read "MISS RODEO CALIFORNIA" with sequins and other shimmery stuff all around. You could tell she was a true cowgirl because of her SMALL wrangler jeans, Tony Llama Boots, and the fact that under her nicely manicured finger nails there was DIRT!!! And LARGE amounts of it. You can find her on Redlands Blvd, she was pretty too. Probably pretty good with horses and stuff.

My little Friend!

He had his hand in my mouth, what a sick boy! He thought the rest of his dinner was in there, but it wasn't!!!

This is Griffyn!!

He is my new best friend. On December 22, he will be 10 months old and we are hoping that he will be walking! Or not hoping....

He is my sister Julene's kid from New Zealand. When we head to FL we will get pictures of the whole family!

Coolest thing EVER

So, i went to World Market for some Christmas cheer, and i found this thing, for MYSLELF, of course! I eat a lot of eggs due to the fact that i am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, most of the time. This little thing makes perfect eggs for egg McMuffins, and the eggs are nice and fluffy. You should buy one, only about $5.00.

Let's see, what else:

Basketball News: We are now 4-2. No games until New Years Tournament over in Loma Linda!

Training News: I have actually been out on the bike! I am having a good time on the trainer, shockingly! It really pushes me mentally to just keep going!

Another B RATED Restaurant!! As I was walking from "FOX" Monday morning after early morning spin induced need for extreme coffee - My eye spotted a BIG "B"!!!!! I saw it was in the window of The VAULT Martini Bar, so it doesn't really affect me, at all! But come on, do they even serve food there? How can a Martini establishment get a B???? Whatever.

UPGRADES: This is something i have been pondering as I train. How do we all decide to upgrade, and when do we actually deserve it? There are some riders/racers around with the sole purpose to destroy other racers, such as myself (total example guys...). As you know, i moved to Expert, and was granted. It was a HUGE decision and to say the least, back in May, it was a very large decision to move from Beginner to Sport. Now in Expert land the pack widens and the competion is seriously stiff. Can or should racers base an entire move up a level on ONE RACE and how they perform against ONE OTHER PERSON? There are so many variables. Maybe i hit 8 trees, maybe i watched Nemo 6 times the night before, or maybe you just wanted it more. I was going to say that at Mammoth, if i didn't get top 3, i wouldn't go Expert. But why let one race negate an entire season of performance? Or, on the contrary, why let one race overshadow deficiets of 2-20 minutes in a race. At one race I passed girl who is now pro. So tomorrow i will apply to be pro, just because of that race. Joking.

Maybe this is my way of saying beware of why you do things. There are many other things to gain through this training/racing process than beating ONE person. Hopefully, when i quit/die/change/get really slow, you still have something to keep you riding. (Please note: This is not directed to anyone i train with, previous/present teammates, or siblings)

Recap

Here is the rundown of the near past:

Tuesday - Game #1 @ tournament LOST (1-1)
Wednesday - Game #2 LOST bad (1-2). Julene (sister) and her husband Rouru, son Chucky and baby Griffyn arrived from New Zealand! I have not seen them for 2 years and I have never seen Griffyn. This is also Chucky's first time to America as well as his first time on a plane! He's about 16 and lovling it!
Thursday - Game #3 at Tourney WON!!! (2-2) came in about 7th out of 8 at tournament. We learned a lot though...Evening visit to sister and family who are staying at aunts house
Friday - Delighful ride on the trainer and off to shopping madness with the family and Jason ending in a delighful meal at another aunts house! We brought the foreigners to the Woods and my square of a cabin and they said I live in the "wop-wops" NZ for "a long way from anything." I had to interpret for them a few times at Claim Jumpers because even my sister, a US National, who has been in NZ for 5 years, has a nasty thick accent. We look at them and smile, then realize they asked us a question, then we all feel awkward. Actually, it is super fun, they must live here now. And i am stealing the baby. He is my new best friend. At almost 10 months, he is on the verge of walking, we hope by Christmas time so he can dismantle the parents house piece by piece.

More to come because i have packed the chaos in thick for the weekend!

Tournament ETC

Jason exists!Many of you believe that I have created Jason to make myself feel better about not having any friends. But here he is, all dressed up at the Christmas banquet - AKA Kosher-Prom. We had a pretty good time, and yes, he is smiling in this picture. I smile big and a lot and kinda horse-like, which makes up for his under-sized smile. Thus, the perfect relationship!
This is my little basketball team at the Christmas banquet! They are out of control! It took forever to get them to settle down, stop poking or laughing!

We are headed to a tournament in Riverside Tues-Thurs where we will dominate in my quest to take over the world. Or not. It should be a grand time though.

Training Gone WILD

I got a trainer! Thank you Mr. Johnson! This is the exact tool I needed to take my training to the next level so that my dreams of taking over the world would become a reality! I am on the borrow to maybe lease to buy program, it works out very nicely. I think my OCD may become very useful in the fact that with having this thing set up 6 feet from my bed and on the way to anywhere else in my life, i may just ride it a lot!

First trainer workout run down: I watched the "Incredibles" to give me that extra edge as I pedaled. I used Dash as my inspiration and he got me through some of the toughest spots. Since I had yet to light the pilot on my propane heater, the "house" was a crisp 58 degrees as starting. I thought to turn on the overhead fan to simulate more of the actual outdoors, but when i do that, globs of dust fly everywhere, and cause breathing issues.

Problem: DOZER - For awhile he chased my feet as they circled around. He came back later to lick the perspiration off my legs. Then he figured out that he could put his front paws on the top tube and get very close to my face. A very interesting experience. He is getting crated next time.

Pictures of all of this soon to come.



New Training Diet: Hot Cheetos and 7 Up. This is an awful choice. The 7UP was a desperate attempt to bring the sensation back to my mouth and lips after an over-zealous attack on the Cheetos. Those things are sick. But I could not stop eating them. My eyes were watering, nose running. By the end, my fingers were caked in the pink/red substance that must contain high amounts of Red 9 and some addictive addative. To say the least, i do not feel well.

One Complaint: NMBS #1 has been changed to April 23. And it is still in Bonelli. Ack. BUT...there is this epic mtb race up in the Napa Valley that day and I have been trying to get up there for the past few years. I used to do it in college since it was hosted by my school in our back 40, but now i feel like i have to stay in town to hit up a big NORBA. In theory, it conflicts with Castaic as well, which we all know it wouldn't hurt to miss that one.

I am heading to the staff Christmas party for a bunch of teacher cheer! I am making "Black Bean Salad Ole" which has nothing to do with Jose Ole.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cans black beans, drained
1 Can Herdas medium salsa
2 Limes - squeezed for their delicious juice
I Bunch Cilantro chopped itty-bitty
I bag frozen corn - unfrozen

Get some chips and you are set!

A Tree Fell

The Forest really does fall in Forest Falls, really. THis place gets crazy wind action and the pine cones hitting the roof sound like they are coming right through. We are all now on branch partol, checking out which ones might choose to fall. This tree fell partially on the "Ark" the old restraunt near the trail head in FF.

Small Cabin on the left is my friend Chris's, which was about 4 feet from being smashed in half this week by a giant Oak that took its plummet to earth. The cabin that it squished had one occupant who is actually ok.

OTHER NEWS:

My super cool basketball team has notched its first victory! It was ugly though, 7-4 at HALF TIME!! (Yes, this is HIGH SCHOOL) But we pulled it out in the end. Season record: 1-0

Banquet time: SDA version of the prom - kosher. Jason will be making his debut appearance - should be grand.

OUT: for a ride, the kids get out at 12 since it takes them like 6 hours to primp, so i am out on the road and into the gym! FINALLY! Thank you!!!