Victoria's Island

Oh Deer

Lull here so thought I might as well whip up a post while I have some creativity in these fingers. Thursday, the day before Friday. So happy it is Thursday. Not because the work week has been bad, but because I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

On deck: bike racing, dinners with friends, Saturday newspapers, potentially Sunday NY Times, tea drinking, sitting in the sun with Mr. Murphy, quality time with my fave guy. Who wouldn't look forward to this?

Did my ride at the crack of dawn today. 6 a.m. and I was out in the cool brisk morning air for my ride. It was chilly. I've been double-shorting these days (you bike racers can probably guess why...) so that helped keep my legs warm (I also had leg warmers on). My face was cool though. I was rolling along, not really enjoying my ride. I was a bit sleepy and the cold was just not happening for me. But then it happened. A beautiful deer bounded across the road. So sleek and powerful. Couldn't really believe it. In all my time of riding south of Barrhaven, I've never seen a deer. I can't really explain what happened, but the deer was like a signal to me. A signal to appreciate that I was out on my bike, powering myself along the road. A signal to savour my health and youth. My entire perspective on the ride changed. All thanks to this casual interloper.

So a solid ride was the result. I had loaded my iPod up with some CBC and NPR podcasts to keep me company. This morning I learned about Ezra Levant's beef with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, about the effects of wind turbines (windmills) on the quality of people's lives (it is not all good), about the alarmingly problematic issue of people being addicted to prescription pain killers, about a book called Squint. Not bad for a two hour ride. Oh, also got to listen to part of an interview with K-OS. He has a new album out - the one song I heard sounds pretty good: 4-3-2-1. This is a riff on the Fiest's 1-2-3-4. If you like books, check out the NPR Books podcast. Some decent interviewers and interviewees.

So why did I ride at the crack of dawn instead of riding in the evening as per usual. Well, for one very important reason: hair cut. But alas, my hair appointment has been rescheduled. So one bonus is I don't have to battle rush-hour traffic out to Kanata. Other bonus is I have a completely free evening. Might hit up a few shopping establishments to get some more shirts. Coffee shop could also be in my future. Whatever ends up happening, it will be relaxing at least.

Just realized that Grey's is on tonight. I'm kind of over this show. But old habits die hard.

Tomorrow is my date with the dentist. Funnily enough, I think my teeth are getting better. Or is this just my fear of the dentist manifesting itself in slick mind games? Don't worry I won't cancel the appointment. Even I know that I can't ignore searing pain that radiates into my orbital bone (I've been ignoring it for a week or so - I think that is long enough).

Found an awesome recipe for carrot cake. Plan on making it next weekend. This recipe is awesome because there is no added sugar. Can't wait to bake it. Also going to whip up my super apple pie. Some pretty tasty and clean eating desserts to come.

Read today that Britain is pulling its troops out of Iraq. Honestly I thought this news would garner more publicity, news headlines than the one I stumbled upon in the National Post. I guess the flavour of the moment right now is the swine flu. This is what I consider "bandwagon journalism". Remember the little baby in Toronto - that was news for a week or so - now this story has disappeared and is buried in the depths of the newspaper... Hmm, and newspaper owners/publishers are wondering why people are turning less and less to the newspaper?

What about you? What's new?

Hump Day

Gee, after posting last week saying I wouldn't have time for regular posts, I'm really on a roll. Guess it helps that I have a chance to grab a few minutes during the day to write. It is remembering to post when I get home that is a bit tricky.

Not much really going on. Just rolling along with life. Been getting in some good training rides and I'm enjoying my new weight work-outs. In the commuting groove now. I find my quality of life is so much better now that I don't have to sit in traffic on the 417. Much more pleasant for me to hop on my bike and ride to work. This morning was a bit brisk but the Ottawa River and green spaces made up for bite in the air. Depending on the wind, I can really make good time on the bike - often faster than it takes to drive.

I have had some interesting experiences with other commuters, or as some call them "pathletes". The bicycle path athletes. These are the people (typically men) who ride to and from work as hard and as fast as they can. They like to such your wheel for a little bit then whip by you - giving you a smug over the shoulder look as they go by. Oh, it is so tempting for me to crank the pace when I have one of these pathletes on my wheel. But I'm sticking to coach Steve's rule - commuting rides are for recovery and recovery only. But the temptation is strong to crank it up and induce some serious gasping for air. We'll see how long I can hold out!

Good news with the bike - it survived its day in the rain. Wasn't cranky on the way home and the subsequent training ride. Cleaned the chain with the super-duper chain cleaner contraption and everything came out super shiny.

It is interval day today. So lets hope the wind stays calm. The last few evenings have been so darn windy - at times I was convinced I wasn't even moving!

Hmm, what else? Finally finished my book. A most excellent read. I'm looking forward to reading Lush Life by Richard Price. This is his latest novel and the book jacket description is pretty intriguing. But first, I've got my two new hardcovers to get through.

Weekend is shaping up quite nicely. Dinner plans with friends on Saturday night. Racing action on Sunday. And who knows what Friday night will hold? Tempted to go on the Cyclelogik ride on Saturday morning - haven't been yet this season. But my program call for a one hour recovery ride... Hmm, guess it will depend on how warm it is in the morning.

Got some smooth new tights yesterday. Cyclery team full-length bib tights. These tights are the bomb. Fit perfectly and look really good. Nothing like new team clothing to put a smile on my face. This being said, I really don't want to wear these tights for quite sometime - I want to start riding around with bare legs!

On the cooking front, the plan is to try out a new recipe next week. Another slow-cooker recipe: crockpot butter chicken. Found the recipe on Dinner with Julie (this woman blogs everyday about what she cooks). Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out. Right now our fridge is packed with a massive container of chickpea and beef stew. I forget how much this recipe makes... Oh, if you're looking for a little treat, try this: place one banana bread "flavored" Oatmeal To Go bar on a plate, place in microwave for 20 seconds, remove plate, open cupboard and remove jar of Nutella (oh yah you know where this is going), open said jar of Nutella, spread a liberal amount of Nutella on one side of the Oatmeal To Go bar, bite, savor, smile, and enjoy (repeat if you dare!).

I'm out. Have a good one. Oh, I cracked and made a dentist appointment. D-day is Friday. I'm not looking forward to it but the shooting pains in my mouth when I eat or drink anything have convinced me that this cannot be ignored. I'm to the point where even the air pressure when I'm riding my bike or have my head inverted during yoga is causing pain in my teeth. I know it sounds bad... I'm hoping there is an easy, painless, and cheap fix. Telling question from the dentist's receptionist "do you have dental insurance?". I do not... So it will be interesting to see how much I'm pressured to book appointments for cleaning, check-ups, etc.

Tuesday Rambling

I have a pretty sweet office/cubicle at work. Window seat. Three windows. Basically I can watch the comings and goings of my building all day. And right now, what do I see? Rain. Lots of rain. Guess what is locked up outside right now? Yep, my road bike. Sigh, poor little thing is getting soaked. I'm trying not to fret about it. Telling myself that this rain won't hurt it. That all I have to do is give it some attention and a good clean tonight and my trusty steed will be okay again.

I had no idea it was supposed to rain this morning. Went out to get my bike out and I thought "smells like rain" but then I looked up and saw the clear blue sky. Very deceptive. Ah well, I had a most excellent ride in this morning. Record time of 35 minutes. And this is at my leisurely recovery pace. I got passed by a guy today. He was working pretty darn hard.

Yoga last night was so good. It was hot. Darn hot. I must have sweat off a couple of pounds last night. But boy did it ever feel good. Think it probably helped my muscles stay loose since I did a weight work-out yesterday and today I'm feeling really good. I remember when I first started lifting this year, it took a couple of weeks before I could walk properly. Guess there really is something to that muscle memory.

Not much else going on. I'm so close to finishing my book. Problem is, I'm a slow reader. So reading long novels takes forever. I'm really enjoying this novel (Samaritan by Richard Price) but it has been with me long enough. I suppose in a way it is a good thing since the Centrepointe Library is closed for renovations. Yes, I know I could go to a different branch, but well I like that branch. Besides I've got two new birthday books waiting for me on my bedside table: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and An Imperfect Offering.  Both in hardcover! Yes, they truly are birthday books.

Well, I've assessed my wardrobe. Think I need to do more shopping. I just don't have enough pants. This office work clothing thing is hard to get used to. I'm okay for pants (kind of) but need more shirts. Particularly to get me through the summer. Somehow I don't think my Dopers Suck t-shirt will fly here in the office. So Thursday night, I'll brave some shops. I did get three really great tops at Loblaws - love the Joe clothing line. Maybe I'll just hit up the big SuperStore in Kanata? I tried Reitmans and came away with a sweater... Not really what I was looking for.

Racing this weekend in Brossard. Looking forward to it. Catching a ride down with one of the guys racing on the Ride with Rendall team. Should be a good little trip. JGee is up first, then me and then young son is racing. So I'm sure there will be lots of interesting stories in the car on the way back. Sadly I won't see Marc race as he is racing quite late in the day. But I'll be cheering for him in spirit. Thanks so much for the kind comments about Marc's result. It really was a super day for him.

Okay, I best be off. Not sure why really. Probably will be more later. I have a light training day tonight. So I'm sure I'll be back on the computer this evening. Stay dry!

Hot in the City

Quiet times right now so thought I'd take the chance to write something. The weekend was pretty darn good. Had a little bit of everything thrown into it: riding, friends, relaxation, and some good meals. Also managed to spend some quality time with the Saturday newspapers and my book. Extra bonus was getting a bunch of preparation type stuff for the week done. (Exciting stuff like ironing, meal preparation and general tidying.)

Whipped up a super crockpot meal yesterday. I have only one slow-cooker recipe book but it is a goodie: Company's Coming Slow Cooker Recipes. In my opinion this is the only slow-cooker recipe book needed. It covers all the basics and has some interesting gems in it as well (such as baking using the slow-cooker). One of our favorite meals from this trusty little recipe book is a chickpea and beef stew. Super tasty and very quick to prepare. So I whipped that up yesterday for us to eat this week and to put leftovers in the freezer.

Got creative on Sunday morning. I saw a recipe on Precision Nutrition for Quinoa pancakes. This aren't traditional pancakes more like quinoa brownies. I thought these would make a good "energy bar" type snack. The recipe called for applesauce - which I didn't have. So I substituted canned pumpkin. Note this is pure canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Here is what I did: cooked one cup of quinoa, let cool  a bit, stirred in a half cup of pumpkin, a scoop of Proteins + chocolate protein powder, and some cinnamon. I stirred it all up and then pressed into an 8 x 8 pan. Stuck it in the fridge. Ideas was it would harden... Didn't really harden. So stuck the whole lot in the oven and baked it uncovered for 30 minutes at around 250. Top had a nice crust but still not set. So I put the lot in the freezer. Yes - success. I now have a bunch of quinoa energy bars in the freezer. The pumpkin and chocolate go well together.

I must say I've become a canned pumpkin convert. This morning I stirred a half cup of it in with my non-fat cottage cheese, sprinkled some cinnamon, and two tbsp of ground flaxseed and gave it a big stir. Pretty tasty breakfast treat. Think I could become addicted to canned pumpkin. It is super good for you - chock full of great vitamins, low calorie and provides a good fiber boost.

So apart from food, I did get some riding in. Saturday I had to skip the beautiful weather and ride my bike on the trainer in the basement. It was critical power test time. The test went well. Hard but good. Now we have some good baseline numbers to move forward with. But I have to say that test kicked my butt. I was pretty wiped out for the rest of the day. Murphy was the lucky winner - we sat outside soaking up the nice weather. He ate grass and I read the newspapers and sipped tea. Pretty good afternoon. Had a little bit of excitement when a rabbit appeared in the backyard... That rabbit hopped through the yard so fast, I don't think Murphy knew what was happening.

We had a quiet night in on Saturday since Marc was preparing for the Almonte Paris Roubaix race on Sunday. Caught up on our Hell's Kitchen episodes and just chilled out. I whipped up one of our favorite day-before-racing meals: whole wheat rotini, broccoli, and hot Italian sausage. Simply squeeze sausage out of the casings, stir-fry in a deep pan, when browned, throw in a very large amount of broccoli florets - let cook until sausage is cooked through and broccoli is cooked. Meanwhile cook pasta. Then combine everything in one giant bowl. Super tasty. And good for you. Yes, this uses sausage, but no extra oil is used to cook the sausage.

Marc had a super race on Sunday. He was third in Almonte Paris Roubaix. I'm sorry I wasn't there to see his finish. Sounds like he really raced well. I chilled out Sunday morning and got all my odd jobs in the house done. Then it was off on the bike. I got a smooth three hours in. I had my iPod loaded up with some excellent podcasts from CBC and NPR. I enjoy listening to music but have to admit that sometimes podcasts allow me to really let my mind go. When I'm listening to music while riding I find my mind wanders a lot and gets a bit busy. With podcasts I'm really focusing on the guests, interviews, etc.

Went on a ticket buying bonanza on Sunday. Picked up tickets for the Ottawa Blues Fest. k.d. lang is singing on July 9 so I had to get tickets for that. k.d. lang is incredible and even better live. Also picked up tickets for the day (can't remember date) when Loud Love is playing. Loud Love is an Ottawa band that I've heard on 88.5. I've always wanted to see them perform. The price of tickets can't be beat: $35 for a day pass. This gets you into the Blues Fest "area" for the entire day. Pretty good.

Discovered that Margaret Atwood is speaking next Monday. She is in town as part of the Tulip Festival. I'm impressed with the Tulip Festival "performers" this year. This year there is a solid mix of different speakers such as Atwood, Rick Mercer, Christian Bok, and Bob Geldof, there are also some musical guests and other performances. I'm considering going to hear Atwood speak. I'm a big fan of her writing. We'll see.

Finally ate at the Mekong. We went on Friday night with our good friends. Had a great meal. Food was excellent. Great conversation with lots of stories and updates. To top it off Fearless and Josee gave me a birthday present. I'm so lucky this birthday is going to last most of April. Some very tasty truffles from Truffles and Treasures and a super smooth Campagnalo cycling cap. The cap is so slick - white with the world champs stripes on it. Can't wait to wear it. Thanks guys!

This week has started off really well. Kicked it off early with a gym work-out. Started a new program so I'm getting my head around the new weight exercises. One new exercise to me: chin-ups. Ouch! So hard. Actually at this point: impossible. My goal is to squeeze out three chin-ups in six weeks time. I watched an old guy pump out six chin-ups like it was nothing. Followed up the gym work-out with a little recovery ride to work. Great way to flush out the junk from my legs and to get my brain relaxed for the workday. There is nothing quite like riding past a line-up of cars stuck in traffic. Tonight is yoga night. Yes - I've missed yoga - haven't been in a week. So all in all a pretty darn good Monday.

May is looking like it is going to be an excellent month. Got some bike racing on the program. My dad is coming for a visit. We are getting together with Marc's family to celebrate the April birthdays (myself, Marc's sister, and her husband are all born within one week of another). My little bro has an upcoming show in Toronto that I'm stoked to go see. So May is going to be good.

Alright, best go now. Some stuff to do. And then it is time to hop on the bike and ride home. I'm in the groove now. Oh, quick teeth update - slowly getting better. Using the fancy toothpaste and bought a dental guard thing for at night. Think the problem is I'm grinding my teeth. With my newfound serenity though this situation should dissolve quickly.

Okay, have a good one. Thanks for reading. Sorry if I went on a bit. You know how it is...

Congrats Marc!

Super loud congrats to Marc - he was third today at Almonte Paris Roubaix! Awesome ride.

I wasn't there to see the race but Marc gave me the low down on the race and post-race action. I'm super proud of Marc for how he rode. Extra proud of how he keeps just giving it all and never lets things get to him.

So far Marc has raced three times this year and has stood on the podium twice. Pretty solid way to start the season. The hard work over the winter and the race smarts are all coming together.

Wish I had been there to see it.

Massive congrats to Josee for her awesome ride today as well. Marc said Josee was riding super strong. Way to go Josee!

Congrats also go out to Sheri. She rode her first Almonte Paris Roubaix today. Congrats on your ride Sheri.

Thanks to Ian and Bob for organizing another great race.

Sunny Times

The day started perfectly for me. I awoke to dry roads and an almost blue sky. Perfect riding weather. Lets just say the weather has not been the bicycle commuter's friend this week. The mornings have been damp and grey. But not today. Geez, what a great way to start my day. So much more relaxing than sitting in traffic.

So solid little commute in. The deal with the commuting is that I'm supposed to ride at a recovery pace. No problem. Or so I thought. My competitive juices began to flow a few times when I ended up with a couple of "drafters". Ah well, whatever. Everyone needs a lift now and then. A quick glance at my SRM and coach Steve's voice in my head and I dialed it back. Giving the commuter on my wheels some satisfaction as he was able to "blow" by me...

Yesterday I took the bus home. Wasn't too sure how this would work. Well, got to say I'm a big fan of the bus. It took a little less than an hour to get home. Caught a bus to Hurdman and then jumped on the super convenient 73 express bus to Barrhaven. Almost door-to-door service. Yes, I could drive in the same amount of time... But just being able to sit there and zone out did wonders for my brain. Just need to figure out the morning bus schedules and I'll be set. Looks like this summer I'll be all about commuting to work via my bike or the bus. Had a pretty good week.

I've been a little more tense than I should be. What's making me tense? Trying to relax! Yep, I know sounds crazy. Clued into the situation this morning as I was pedaling to the office. I was trying so hard to get everything done so that I could relax that I really ended up with no time to relax. So the new resolve is this: do what has to be done, the other stuff can wait. I can learn to live with a pile of laundry that needs to be put a way or a stack of "stuff" that needs to be tidied up. Got to remember that Better Homes and Gardens isn't coming over for a photo shoot anytime soon. So why not just run a hot bath, get a mug of tea, and relax?

Dudes, I think I may need to go to the dentist. I've noticed this week that my teeth are sore. Yes teeth as in all of them. I'm hoping it is just a sensitivity thing to hot and cold. I'll try out some of that fancy toothpaste and see if that helps. If not I guess I'll have to go to the dentist. I'm not a fan of the dentist. In fact I hate the dentist. I had a lot of cavities, fillings and some dental appliances as a kid - so I'm just not into it. I really hate the needles. I don't mind needles anywhere else but really strongly dislike them in my mouth. Hmm, this is beginning to sound a bit like a phobia....

I'd like to tell you all about my knitting. But sadly there is nothing to report. The project is stalled. Partly due to time. But mostly due to my fingers. I'm suffering from some extremely dry skin on my hands. The ends of my fingers are splitting. My knuckles are cracked. Not sure what is causing this. And as you knitters know, there is nothing like yarn to suck the moisture out of one's hands. So the knitting is on the shelf until I can get this dry skin conquered.

Gee, sore teeth, dry skin, and tense - I sound like I'm in pretty rough shape! But honestly, I'm not. I'm good.

The birthday bonanza continues! I received a great gift from my little bro this week. A "Hootie Hoo" shirt... You Top Chef fans will know what I'm talking about! So cool.

 Alright, I best be off. There is stuff to do here. So made one discovery here at work today. The gym does not have a squat rack. Strange. Very strange. So now I'll have to figure out how to work in my weight work-outs and commuting by bike. I'll be back at the Sportsplex training now. I got a new program from John Z. - it is awesome. He is so good at pushing me to my limits. This time I'm getting into some back squats, some crazy bosu ball stuff, wicked core exercises, and chin-ups (gasp! I can't even do one).

Have a good weekend. I'm sure I'll post this weekend. The weather looks super awesome. We've got nothing big scheduled. Marc is racing the infamous hard man's race on Sunday - Paris Roubaix. Me, I'm staying home and training. Thinking of going down to the Byward Market on Sunday for a wander around.

Alright, I really am going now...

Okay, I'm back now. Sitting outside on the front step enjoying the sun with Mr. Murphy. He is out exploring (i.e. eating grass). Can't believe how warm it is today. Had a great cycle home. So nice to see so many people outside using the bicycle paths and the city greenspaces. Saw so many young families out sprawled on the grass along the bike paths and Ottawa River - refreshing change. Heading out for dinner tonight with some pals. We're going to the Mekong. I've never been to this Chinese restaurant before - I'll let you know what I think. Right now at Loblaws if you spend more than $60 on groceries you receive a free "green bin". Nice little promotion. Personally, I'm not a fan of the bins so I gave my bin to the lady in line behind me. Have a great Friday night. Hopefully you can get in some relaxation and laughs. Pondering firing up the barbecue for supper tomorrow night. Can you believe we are still using the original propane tank (the barbecue is two years old).

Tuesday Night

(Wrote this earlier today...)

I'll be honest here - I'm struggling to keep up with this blog. I just don't seem to have the time to sit down and write like I want to. And this is starting to stress me out a bit. I plan to write a post, run out of time and then get a bit bothered because I've neglected this site.

Well, this morning I had a revelation. This is only a blog. It is nothing more than that. Yes, I get a lot of joy from writing on this site and even more from reading your comments. But, this shouldn't be stressful. So I've resolved to take it as it comes. If I have time to post, then I'll post. If I don't have time, I won't post. So all this to say, you most likely will not be seeing daily posts from me.

Sitting here at work right now. Yep, writing this in my email client, then I'll email it home and then post it tonight (assuming I remember)...

Had a pretty darn good weekend. I met up with a good friend on Saturday afternoon and we had a great time. Chatting, laughing, and browsing books at Chapters. Excellent way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Marc was away with his bike racing team so I was solo for the weekend. Chilled out Saturday night and got myself ready for the race on Sunday. Sunday was all about the race - first race of the season at the Calabogie race track. I'll be posting a race report over on Ottawa Cross later tonight (at least this is the plan)... The race was okay. Made a couple of errors that cost me. Such is bike racing. Hit the gym after the race for a strength work-out. Yes, I was pretty much wiped out after this!

Reward was a long bath, a visit to the coffee shop, and some relaxation in the evening. I did a big batch of cooking on the weekend. Whipped up some carrot soup on Saturday. Pretty darn tasty. First time making carrot soup - not sure what the texture should be like and it turned out to be a bit thick. Made a recipe from my Precision Nutrition cookbook on Sunday. Essentially lean ground beef, tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, onion, and tomato paste. It is okay - a bit bland though. Very healthy and chock full of veggies. Two new recipes this weekend and overall pretty good success. Not sure what to make this weekend. I'll have to poke around my cookbooks and see what I can find. I'm thinking crockpot...

Other than this, life is rolling along. Still reading the Richard Price novel Samaritan. Really enjoying it. I recommend Price, powerful and realistic writer. Marc and I are still watching The Amazing Race. It is getting down to the wire. My favorite team (Amanda and Chris) are long gone - by unfortunate team tactics... I'm enjoying the program this year more for the places the teams have been traveling to than the "reality" television component.

Heard about a cool concert this Thursday - NAC orchestra Sci Fi show. I'm sure this is not the official name of the concert but whatever. Essentially the NAC orchestra will be performing music from Star Wars and Star Trek. I heard some clips of it this morning on the radio - the music is so powerful.

Oh, biked in to work yesterday. I loved it. So much more relaxing than battling the traffic on the roads. It is a great way to start the day and an even better way to wind down after a day at the office. I had intended to ride in today but I was stopped by the rain. I don't mind riding in the rain, but I have to leave my bike outside and don't want to leave it in the rain all day. Soon enough this spring weather will be behind us and I'll be riding to work everyday.

Okay, gotta go. Time for my morning snack. I'm starving. More later - maybe.

(Now writing in the present tense as in now...)

So need something to do on May 2nd and 3rd? Check out Janet's Walks. This is really very cool. I'm tempted by a couple of the walks and you know - I'm not a big fan of walking....

Alright is late (well for me) 9:48. I'm waiting for the washer to finish so I can pull my shorts out and get them to dry for tomorrow (meeting with John Z. to get a new strength work-out). Just got in from the first NRC training crit of the season. Ouch! My legs are still aching. It was tough tonight - small pack, lots of attacks and well that's all it took really to put the hurt on me. Excellent for training and learning how to ride a crit. Thanks Ross for the great races. I'm  off to post on my other blog. I'll have a race report up in a flash.

Weekend

Mmm, the weekend. Nothing quite like it. Some like it fast. Others like it slow. Me, I waver between the two domains. I like to have a busy weekend but I also like time to linger over my tea and newspapers. Plans are good. But no plans can work well  - leads to some spontaneity.

I have discovered a pretty decent early morning CBC radio program - Intown and Out. The host is decent and there is always some interesting banter and stories. Nice way to get in touch with what is happening in the city - much more worthwhile than suffering through the Saturday Ottawa Citizen... (This newspaper just doesn't cut it when compared to the Saturday Globe and National Post.)

I'm going to be riding the trainer today. I know - crazy! But it is raining. Normally I wouldn't hesitate to go out in the rain. Especially since I only have to do two hours today. But the thing is, I'm racing tomorrow. So if I ride in the rain today, I'll have to clean my bike to get it race ready. Riding the trainer keeps it shiny and clean. And also, since it is the weekend, I do have some plans.

And bike cleaning just doesn't fit into these plans. I've got a bath on deck - I'm reading an excellent novel by Richard Price - Samaritan. This is my first Price novel - thoroughly engaging. The writing is top-notch and I like to believe the language is realistic. I want to read Lush Life by Price but thought I'd start with one of his older novels first.

Hoooking up with a good friend this afternoon. Some girl talk, shopping, tea/latte drinking and some laughs are all anticipated.

Other than that, just the Saturday usual. Marc is off on his road trip with the Ride with Rendall crew to Battenkill for the Tour of Battenkill. I've got my packing list made for my race bag. Yes, I'm that anal - but this way I won't obsess about it - the list is made and I don't need to think about it anymore. Planning on making carrot soup this evening. I'll let you know how it turns out. I've ditched peanut butter in favor of almond butter... Simply because I don't like almond butter as much as peanut butter so this way I won't be tempted to eat the almond butter straight from the jar...

Got to say this working in the office thing has done wonders for my dress size. Rather than getting the dreaded expanding bum that comes with working in an office, I've got the shrinking bum thing happening. No complaints here! Suppose it is because I bring my food to work and really only have the food I bring to eat. So celery, carrots, salad, tomatoes, apples, oranges, and some kind of protein is about as exciting as it gets. Yes there is an onsite cafeteria, but I'm cheap - I don't want to waste my money on lunch - particularly one that isn't as healthy as my own food. This being said, I do buy my lunch once a week... I think the other reason for this loss has been my lack of coffee shop time.. I miss the coffee shop but my wallet is staying full longer and I don't have to fight temptation.

Alright, it is 9:00 a.m. I've been up since 5:30 a.m. (Not bad for a Saturday!) Time to get the bike set up and get on the trainer.

Have a good weekend. Check out Ottawa Cross tomorrow - there will be a race report to read. First race report of the 2009 road season. Oh, if you know of a team looking for a rider for the Tour de PEI or Tour de Grand Montreal, please email me. I'd like to one or both of these stage races. Had hoped to race with the Ontario team, but the OCA is not entering a team this year...

Back for More

Got a few minutes of downtime here this evening so what better to do than write something? Had a pretty solid day. Progress was made at the office. Finding some cool projects to keep me busy and productive. Zoomed home and hopped on the bike for a ride.

I felt sorry for poor Mr. Murphy being alone all day so I sat outside while eating supper so he could roam the back yard and eat lots of grass. Tad chilly out there with sun in. Still munching leftover curried apple couscous, roast chicken, and my new go-to salad/veggie combo - chopped tomato, cucumber, zuchini and green onion. I basically eat this veggie combo everyday for lunch with some kind of protein - today it was with mixed bean salad. Yesterday was the best - I threw some of the famous leftover on the veggies and ate it cold - delish!

Pretty quiet night tonight. Marc just got in from his ride. Might head out to Steamers for some dessert and chai/coke. See how the night goes. Of course, I could/should be folding laundry, ironing clothes and doing other domestic stuff.... But really, I don't feel like it!

The birthday bonanza continued this week with more gifts from my parents: two sweet cycling caps for Little Packages and an awesome pair of pajamas! Thanks. I'll post pictures of everything (except the pajamas...) sometime this weekend.

Okay, I best be off. Nothing really groundbreaking happening here. Tomorrow night we'll be busy getting ready for Marc's trip to the U.S. for the Tour of Battenkill. Have a good one.

Quick One

Sorry I've been missing from this space. Not having access to this site from the office is a real pain. Not to mention that Wednesdays are crazy here. I'm still trying to get used to the commuting. Not a fan of commuting- takes up way too much time. Also don't enjoy sitting in traffic. Next week I'll be riding my trusyt two-wheeler. At least this way I can be in control!

So, not much really going on. Been getting out for some excellent rides and enjoying the warm weather we've been having. Still not brave enough to ditch the leg warmers. I think it will happen this weekend. Racing on Sunday in Calabogie. Marc is off to race with the big boys at Tour of Battenkill.

Okay, this is super short and quick. It is 5:45 a.m. and my breakfast needs to be eaten so I can dash to the office and get a gym work-out in. Not a bad little gym there. Smaller than the Sportsplex but has everything I need.

Need a recipe? Check out Curried Apple Couscous. Very tasty. (I doubled the amount of curry powder...)

Okay - more later - I hope.