Thread Drift

[maillotpois]

Trek - Bummer!!!

Fish - what they said! You will not have a problem putting the saddle on. If you do, PM me.

[DrBee]

That's lousy Trek - can you board her?

Thanks Maillotpois - we'll see how it goes.

[Trek420]

don't know. I'll call the vet and ask them about that.

I don't think she'd like it or even take well to that. But I'll ask because I need to figure out the dog care thing. She's protective, and takes her job of gaurding me just a little too seriously sometimes (I try to tell her "Mae, Mom's a 2nd degree black belt, I can take care of myself. Just be a dog").

On the other hand once she see's that you're part of the pack it's all good, anything you do she likes.

But my previous dog care possibilities I kinda burned those bridges behind me. When my ex took our two cats to the pound simply because they were no longer convenient I think (aw c'mon, they're cats! How much work can it be? :mad: food, water, clean litter box, catnip - you're done) I think I talked about that here. Anyway, my hope is because I ripped her up one side and down the other (verbaly) that she did find them a home or keep them but now I'm that bad person so she, and her friends C & S who also Mae considered part of the pack...no longer dog care options.

So I have to punt. Surfs off getting recomendations for dog trainers to further Mae's education.

[uk elephant]

Not sure Mae remembers me since last time, but I will quite happily dog-sit. No need to pay me, just pay my transportation cost....I will even cycle part of the way (to the station at least).

But seriously..I do hope you find someone suitable that Mae will really like.

[DrBee]

Here's another option Trek. We found a grooming place nearby that boards dogs. They have a nice run where the dogs can go outside a couple of times a day. They hired someone just to come and play with the dogs. Now Mae may not appreciate the playing per se, but if she's crate trained, she might not be too upset being in a cage for the most part of a couple of days. Some boarding places also have outdoor/indoor areas the dogs get to stay in all the time. I don't know what you have where you live, but I'd guess there might be a suitable option. We call it "doggy camp". My dogs now get excited when we mention it.

[DirtDiva]

maillot? Does your daughter know that you've been running around here refering to her as "peas"?

(I just twigged to that one, after ages of thinking "hmm... petite pois... that means something in French..." :rolleyes: )

[maillotpois]

maillot? Does your daughter know that you've been running here refering to her as "peas"?

(I just twigged to that one, after ages of thinking "hmm... petite pois... that means something in French..." :rolleyes: )

Well, if I'm "maillotpois" (a bastardization of the term "maillot a pois", used to refer to the polka dot climber's jersey in the Tour), and "pois" technically means "peas" - SK came up with "petitePois" ("little peas") for the shorty and I liked it!

[SadieKate]

mailloitpois - petit chou - petitepois. Makes sense to me. :p

[DirtDiva]

It is kinda cute, actually. Just wondered what she thought... ;)

[KnottedYet]

Cycle Psychoanalysis:

Last night I dreamt I had worked on the front tire of my bike, and I could see the tube coming out of the bead (the edgy-bit of the tire that fits in the rim, whatever that thingy is called) and then it exploded. And it exploded twice more!

Either I need to stop reading Bicycling Magazine and Bicycling Science by D.G. Wilson before I sleep, or I have deep-seated anxiety about working on my bike.

I think I need to get my health insurance to cover the one week Level 1 bike mechanics class at UBI (www.bikeschool.com) If my case is severe, and my mental health is truly jeopardized (which it is, as anyone could attest!) I will need insurance to cover the Level 2 class, too.

:D

[Trek420]

As Freud said "sometimes a bike tube is just a bike tube".

I'm still looking however I may have found a dog trainer. Let's hope we can teach a middle aged dog new tricks. We're consulting on the dog issues and then will work on scheduling.

Snap, feel free to post or send me info on your guy.

Oh, Sun just came out from behind the fog.

Well off to the dojo I think in a while, run some other errands maybe.

[DrBee]

Trek - glad to hear you found a trainer!

We are having decent weather today - it's overcast, but finally there is minimal wind. I took a quick ride this morning - could've gone longer, but had to come home to gather the kids and hubby up and drive 35 minutes and judge a crawfish cooking contest. Uhhhhh - no entries. So, now I'm starving! At least we're going to a crawfish boil tonight. I did a 1/2 mile sprint on a good straight stretch (there aren't many of those on my route) and hit 21.3 mph. A new record for me :) Happy Day to all of you! I'm off to run errands.

[KnottedYet]

Success at Trader Joe's! (and other shopping)

It's one of the cheaper grocery stores around here. Got edemame (frozen and shelled) for 1/4 the price elsewhere. Great for my new favorite instant food: 1/2 frozen corn 1/2 frozen edemame. Let thaw. Add some salt.

"Two Buck Chuck!" Happy dance! Bottle o' Shiraz for $2.99. I'm working on it right now. Purple Moon Shiraz for $3.99. Didn't buy that, cuz I was afraid I'd end up working on it tonight, too.

Clif bars 99 cents. Nectar and Lara bars for $1.29. Big BIG Tiger's Milk bars for 69 cents. (got 3 for Small Knot) Honkin' half pound bags of candied ginger 99 cents. (got 2 for me)

After the groceries I cleaned up a spot along a wall in my room, so my bike has a new home. (two buck chuck helped with that task) Hmmm, now I'm sleeping with my bike, as well as dreaming about it....

Also hit the REI sale. A disappointment, as it has been for the last 15 or 20 years. They never should've sold their soul. I did get an Onguard cable-and-U-lock combo. The most appealing thing about Onguard is that it comes with 5 (count 'em, FIVE) keys.

REI didn't have gu/clif snot flasks. I even asked a peon in a green vest, and he said they didn't have any. Poopy. I was gonna use my 20% off coupon for a flask. (a savings of approx 80 cents)

Anybody have a favorite flask? Favorite flask attachment device? (Gu makes one for handle bars, Ultimate makes one for arms or clothes)

[Trek420]

Happy Birthday yellow!!!!! also newfsmith, amg, mtbstarr & spideysgirl:D

[maillotpois]

Cycle Psychoanalysis:

Last night I dreamt I had worked on the front tire of my bike, and I could see the tube coming out of the bead (the edgy-bit of the tire that fits in the rim, whatever that thingy is called) and then it exploded. And it exploded twice more!

Either I need to stop reading Bicycling Magazine and Bicycling Science by D.G. Wilson before I sleep, or I have deep-seated anxiety about working on my bike.

I think I need to get my health insurance to cover the one week Level 1 bike mechanics class at UBI (www.bikeschool.com) If my case is severe, and my mental health is truly jeopardized (which it is, as anyone could attest!) I will need insurance to cover the Level 2 class, too.

:D


I so totally want to do that class! I have been looking at that for years.

Cycle Pyschoanalysis:

This afternoon, after having a couple of rum and tonics and sitting in the sun watching DH's tennis match, I come home to lounge on the couch with the Vino edition of Cycle Sport. Love Vino. Read the article. DH is at the computer pricing forks. There's a cool breeze coming in, I can hear the hypnotic hum of the computer, and my eyes slowly sink shut. I am descending a curvy mountain road, and my front wheel suddenly goes out from under me - and I fall to the pavement, jerking awake just before impact.

[Lise]

Yikes! Perfect post for a thread called "drift"! ;)

[Nanci]

I love Shiraz/Sirah. I think that's my favorite red. BUT on my way to Chattanooga, I stopped in at Georgia Wineries for some fruit wine, and brought home six bottles, one of which is gone already, the blackberry/muscadine...Also bought: Raspberry/muscadine, muscadine, blueberry, sweet honey red muscadine, and one other I can't remember!

http://www.georgiawines.com/winelist.asp

I tasted a New Zealand Riesling last night and it was _too oakey!!!_ I don't think I've ever tasted oak in a Riesling! I was very disappointed...

[DirtDiva]

Oakey riesling? Weird. What one was it? (I'm curious to see if the US is like the UK and the only NZ wines you can readily get are owned by Montana...)

[Nanci]

Villa Maria, 2004.

Nose: Wine Enthusiast calls it "fern," but I couldn't really put a name on anything.

Tasting: yellow apple, piney, lime

Here's another NZ wine that I've been hoarding:

2002 PANSY ROSÉ
PRODUCTION NOTES
"Pansy" is a sculptured wine. Made from predominately Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes, a portion of juice was bled from the grapes one day after crushing. The wine was then handled like a white wine, cool fermented and sulphured once dry. Just prior to bottling a portion of late harvest Chardonnay was added to add complexity and a hint of sweetness to the wine.

ANALYSIS AT HARVEST
Average Brix: 22.0 Titratable Acidity: 7.0 g/l pH: 3.25 WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 13.0 %
Titratable acidity: 6 g/l
pH: 3.45
Residual sugar: 4.0 g/l

TASTING NOTES
Colour: Cherry in colour with mauve edges.

Aroma: Ripe Pacific Rose apple and sherbert aromas abound. Complexed with hints of bisto.

Palate: A fruity little number. The wine has great fruit intensity, with juicy fruit and watermelon characters. Full bodied the wine finishes well with a hint of tannin.

An ideal summer sipper and aperitif style wine.

[DrBee]

Shiraz...I have bad associations with Shiraz. Drank waaayyyyy too much of it at a Mardi Gras ball a few years back and can't even think about drinking it now.

Riesling I like, but cannot imagine it being oakey. That IS wierd.

[uk elephant]

I can't drink very much alcohol these days, but when I do have anything I save it for a nice glass of Argentine Malbec. Still very cheap, but I think it is also very tasty. And because it is Argentine, it of course goes very well with grilled meat (of any kind).

In the winter, I occasionally treat myself to a cup of hot port (simmer some orange slices and cloves in hot water and add the water and fruit to some port). For medicinal purposes of course. It is the best thing for warming up on damp chilly English winter evenings. But only late in the evening because it always puts me to sleep.

[Nanci]

I'm still getting to know Malbec, but my favorite so far is Bodega Norton.

I'm trying a bunch of more obscure reds, too, like Lemberger and Cab Franc and I guess I'd even include Petit Sirah in that bunch.

[uk elephant]

for a good Malbec, try the Santa Julia. I've also had a couple of other really good ones, but of course can never remember the name. Just as I can never remember the name of any music I really like or people I've known for less than a decade or two or good books I've read. Just bad with names in general.

[Nanci]

I keep a written wine journal, and also have everything I've ever tasted in my Palm Pilot, so I can "remember" what I loved/didn't love when I'm at the grocery store.

[DrBee]

I feel like I'm getting a mini wine lesson. This is great!

[bikerz]

I love Cab Franc - it can be hard to find in a bottle all on it's own. A winery out here in Sonoma called Gundlach-Bundschu was one of the first ones to make a Cab Franc and it is was great. Not sure if they are still making that - I haven't seen it around, now that I think of of it.

I had a great Pinot (2001 Robert Stemmler Carneros) on Saturday - I had gone off Pinots for a while, but this was a great reminder of how good they can be.

[maillotpois]

Abacela in Oregon makes both a great Malbec and a great Cab Franc. Hard to find, but well worth the search.

[Nanci]

Luckily, cab franc is something that can grow up in Georgia- so a lot of the wineries up there grow it. The only commercial winery I can find locally is Ironstone, which, luckily, does a good job with it.

[Nanci]

Koko and Buttercup are doing well- living through going cold turkey on the grocery store lettuce. Yesterday afternoon, I thought I saw the Good One, Koko, in the nutritious pellet slurry bowl, but it was really Buttercup, eating like crazy! I took Koko out to graze in the yard for the first time. I don't think they've been out before. He ate dead and live grass, dead oak leaves, little yellow clovers, and did lots of deep sniffing of everything. He had such a great time I brought Buttercup out too, and, predictably, she sat with her giant front feet in front of her face and refused to come out...That's why she's the Bad One!! I hope some one on one handling will help her overcome her fear of everything. Koko is completely different- he climbs, he likes to be petted, he runs all over the yard, he eats everything.

[Nanci]

So on my Century Saturday, there were some pretty steep descents. I'm pretty comfortable up to about 35mph, if I can see ahead, if the road isn't curvy. To gain time, though, I tried to descend as quickly as possible, but erring on the side of caution. I saw after the first big descent that I had reached a speed of 39.8- I was thinking, oh, if I had only gone a little faster! But later, without even trying, I hit 41.6!!! (Yeah, I know some people can go 60) Luckily, the cars are driving slowly, and I just stay in the middle of the lane so they won't be tempted to try to pass. It's so cool...

Nanci

[DrBee]

Cool Nanci! That seems really really fast to me :) Having no hills here - I can only imagine what it must be like to go 40 mph! I was hoping I wouldn't crash when I hit 21.3 this weekend, because I felt like I was going so fast. You were going nearly twice as fast as I was. :eek:

It's funny how the two tortoises have such different personalities. Sounds like you're having a blast with them. What do the pigeons think of them?

[DrBee]

Ooooohhhhh - I just received an email saying that my saddle was delivered! :D I want to go home right now!!!!! Why can't THIS be my telecommuting day??!!!:rolleyes: I'm outta here at 3:30! 2.5 hours to go!

[maillotpois]

Ooooohhhhh - I just received an email saying that my saddle was delivered! :D I want to go home right now!!!!! Why can't THIS be my telecommuting day??!!!:rolleyes: I'm outta here at 3:30! 2.5 hours to go!


Yippee!!! :D

Hey Nanci - good job on the speeding. And I am glad the tortoises are doing well. They seem great. But seriously, was Koko in guacamolein that picture??? :p

[DrBee]

Yeah Nanci - you never did answer the guacamole question. So????


2 hours until I go home...

[Nanci]

No, Koko is not in guacamole! That's his melted pellets.

I'm supposed to be getting new shorts today, Canari Gels. I'll probably hate them. But they're cheap, from Sierra Trading Post.

Susan from TE recommended some shorts I might like the chamois of, I think the Sugoi RS Flex Shorts. $119!!! Ack!!!

I hope to get some better picks of the torts this week- not aerial views, more eye level.

Nanci

[DrBee]

So, do you just hose them off after they are done mucking around in the melted pellets? ;) It looks remarkably like guacamole. At least in the pics.

I sure am glad you didn't get a flat during that descent! Wow -that could've been bad. Any news on the guy that crashed?

.
.
.
1.5 hours until I leave for home :)

[Nanci]

Haven't heard about the crashed guy. They'll probably have an update on the website when they post the 2006 results.

The torts only get to soak once a week. In the wild, they may only get to drink once a year! So they store up water in their bladders, and it is released back into the body as needed. When they get a chance to restock, they release what's in the bladder and get a fresh supply. That is why you should never pick up a wild tortoise- they pee when frightened, and could lose a whole year's water supply and die.

I have another tortoise and used to wonder why he always peed when I gave him a drink. (He liked to drink out of the running sink faucet.) Now I know. I thought it was just that deal where, if you're in water, it makes you have to pee.

[DrBee]

Sounds like frogs, except they are not in such grave danger if they let loose... needing to live near water and all ;)

I'll have to remember the tip to not pick up a tortoise the next time I see one. Of course, I have no idea when that wil be. But good to know anyway. You are just full of useful information of all sorts, aren't you Nanci? How do you do that? My husband (a physiologist in his pre-stay-at-home-dad life) can remember chemical formulas and diagrams for just about anything and all sorts of metabolic information and toxicological info. It boggles my mind sometimes. He has a photographic memory. I...do not.

Okay - I'm babbling. 40 minutes left! Ack!

[DirtDiva]

That's cool about the tortoise pee. I think I'll count that as my "what I learned today" moment.

[Nanci]

Got my new Canari Gel shorts, they suck, they are really weird, the leg grippers are huge!!! So to console myself, I ordered two of my favorite Patagonia sports bras from REI which is having a 20% off sale on lots of stuff right now. And a 20% off any full price coupon is on their home page...

Nanci

[Nanci]

Sometimes I horrify myself. So last night, I thawed out two mice for Maizey. It's her second meal of two adult mice- she'd been eating two small adults, then one big adult, then finally got down two adults, and had a shed last week, so didn't eat. Thawed the mice in a bowl of hot water, then dried them on a paper towel, then dumped them into her feeding box, so I wouldn't have my scent on them, or theirs on me, then placed Maizey in the box, then tried to find her a dark place to eat, since her usual spot, the washing machine, was in use. Later, BF had placed cave lights that were being charged on the paper towels, so they didn't get thrown away. This morning, I made crockpot chicken and dumplings. I used a wooden spatula to stir it. And set it in a glass of water to soak. When I got home from work, I had to add the dumplings and milk to the crockpot. There, on the counter, on the mouse paper towel, is the spatula! Good thing I remembered what the paper towel had been used for...But what a close call!!

[snapdragen]

There, on the counter, on the mouse paper towel, is the spatula! Good thing I remembered what the paper towel had been used for...But what a close call!!

Eh, it's all protein.......:rolleyes: :D

[maillotpois]

I forget - what is Maizey?

[Nanci]

The Princess of all Corn Snakes. There's a pic of her on here somewhere, resting her head on her loquat leaf pillow.

[Nanci]

I'm taking a break from "Shopgirl" and pinot noir and making myself cry by watching Hornby Island Eagle tribute videos...

[Nanci]

Right click over the link below to save target as to view later. (Download it now before my storage runs out.)

http://www.streamload.com/warriorcwm/videopresentation2.wmv

[Brina]

No, Koko is not in guacamole! That's his melted pellets.

I'm supposed to be getting new shorts today, Canari Gels. I'll probably hate them. But they're cheap, from Sierra Trading Post.

Susan from TE recommended some shorts I might like the chamois of, I think the Sugoi RS Flex Shorts. $119!!! Ack!!!

I hope to get some better picks of the torts this week- not aerial views, more eye level.

Nanci

I have a pair of Sugoi, not sure which model - that are just not for me. I think they are an XL if you are interested. I think I wore them once or twice. The Shebeests are just a much better fit for me.

[Nanci]

What's the chamois like? Size, density, etc.

I have a pair of Sugoi tri shorts that I HATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brina]

What's the chamois like? Size, density, etc.

I have a pair of Sugoi tri shorts that I HATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did some searching - they are this pair:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=17587

[KnottedYet]

Saw the neurologist.

I have two lesions on the right frontal lobe. Radiologist made a bit of a fuss over them in his report. (which makes sense, as all my symptoms are on the left side of my body). Both my doc and the neuro say they aren't MS or cancer. The neuro says they aren't causing my symptoms, either.

Neuro says my symptoms are cuz I don't breathe deeply enough. (?) And I need to get regular exercise. (!?!) Because I'm stressed out. (!!?!?!?) She was very big on how I needed to breathe deeply. (She told me all about the stress she gets from her 15 year old son, and how I need to treat my 13 year old son. And how stressful it is to have a teenage son. So far I've found the teenage years to be fairly ridiculous, but not stressful.)

Now, if there's something that is stressing me out that badly every spring for the last several years, doesn't it seem like I'd've figured it out by now?

Needless to say, I'm going for a second opinion.

[maillotpois]

Wow Knotted - that's a bit scary. Definitely go for the second opinion.

I have to say your attitude seems to be terrific.

[KnottedYet]

Oh, yeah, and twice I've had a doc tell me the issue I was complaining about was simply stress.

#1 turned out to be a torn alar ligament in my neck.

#2 turned out to be malignant melanoma.

So I have a bit of hesitation surrounding accepting the diagnosis of "not breathing deeply enough due to stress".

[maillotpois]

Yeah, you're not breathing deeply, so you have symptoms that seem to match up with brain lesions that aren't causing those symptoms?

What-ever.

Get a second opinion.

[snapdragen]

Needless to say, I'm going for a second opinion.

Um....good idea! ;)

[Quillfred]

Knottedyet,

That sucks! I hate to be talked down to. Why can't they just be honest and say "I don't know what's causing your symptoms?"

I hope you have some recommended physicians in your health plan.

Quillfred

[KnottedYet]

My resting heart rate in the neuro's office (surely a stressful situation?) was 72 bpm.

That doesn't sound like the heart rate of a stress-case.

I'm getting a little p.o.'ed. Working myself into a frenzy. Aaaaak, I can feel my breathing... it's getting... shallower..... no, deeper..... no, it's stopped.... I'm the next David Blaine!

:D (I'm such a snot. Health care workers are the worst patients!) :D

[Trek420]

Knotted, every Spring :confused: alergies? Yep, breathing's a good thing but see a second...third....Doctor.

[KnottedYet]

I asked about allergies and got poo-pooed. (as far as I know I have none). Kinda makes sense to me, too. I mean, if I don't have MS (which kicks in in the spring for a lot of folks) SOMETHING is irritating my CNS and/or the lesions in the spring.

If this is something I just have to live with 6-8 weeks a year, fine. But if it's something I can mitigate to some extent, I'd certainly like to know.

Still mighty happy it's not MS or cancer.

-Kaja, breathing deeeeeeeply:rolleyes:

[Trek420]

Alergies can be awful. We have a family friend who leaves Sonoma county each year and visits family in Japan while something blooms that would make life horrid for her. Then she comes right back. Not sure if she even knows what it is she just goes.

[DrBee]

I'm glad to hear you've had it confirmed that it's not cancer or MS. I'd definitely get a second and third opinion on the breathing part. That just sounds absurd. It sounds awfully seasonal to me (and apparently everyone else). I wonder why the doctors won't even consider that as an option. Odd.

[Lise]

My resting heart rate in the neuro's office (surely a stressful situation?) was 72 bpm.

That doesn't sound like the heart rate of a stress-case.

I'm getting a little p.o.'ed. Working myself into a frenzy. Aaaaak, I can feel my breathing... it's getting... shallower..... no, deeper..... no, it's stopped.... I'm the next David Blaine!

:D (I'm such a snot. Health care workers are the worst patients!) :D
It's true. We are tough patients. Have to back down, switch gears, and be a pro-active patient. I *know*, as a health care provider, how hard it is to say, "We don't know what is causing your symptoms". But "you have two lesions on your brain...relax" doesn't make sense to me, either. Keep at it. We'll be here, waiting to hear what docs #2 and 3 have to say! L.

[Nanci]

My daughter stressed me out enough during her teenage years to give me brain damage!!!

I met a doc at the coffee pot yesterday, drinking decaf, who has the exact visual disturbances I get, who called it caffeine-induced non-cephalgia! (Like a migraine aura, kind of, but never get the headache). It was so weird, he described what happens to me to a T, even the length of time the whole episode takes. I thought it was related to my hole in my heart, and I was having mini-strokes or something!! It's just my friend caffeine!!

I am watching the new eagle nest. At first I was disconnected from the babies, but I really got attached to them yesterday. The best part is watching the sun come up, and mom finally get up off them, and seeing these huge babies she was sitting on!

Buttercup walked around the yard and grazed yesterday, with her head out!

[Nanci]

I had headaches _every_ day of my life, since teenage years, and when I moved to Florida, I started getting VERY sick, coughing, congested, etc. I was prescribed Zyrtec allergy medication, which I take year-round, and now I don't get headaches any more, ever. Who would have guessed...

[DrBee]

I met a doc at the coffee pot yesterday, drinking decaf, who has the exact visual disturbances I get, who called it caffeine-induced non-cephalgia! (Like a migraine aura, kind of, but never get the headache). It was so weird, he described what happens to me to a T, even the length of time the whole episode takes. I thought it was related to my hole in my heart, and I was having mini-strokes or something!! It's just my friend caffeine!!



If I drink caffeine, my peripheral vision gets wacky and kind of wiggles. My heart also gets fluttery. I stay completely away from caffeine now and I'm fine. Is this similar to what you get? I've never had a migraine, so I don't know what the aura is like.

[salsabike]

Go girl on the doctor front. Some of them revert quickly to saying it's stress when what they mean is, "Um...I don't know." And sometimes their test results aren't exactly right either, so those lesions might or might not be real lesions, also. I've had some experience with that kind of thing. You have a ton of support on this forum.

Hope to see you around the trails---how will I know it's you? I am riding an bleached celeste '06 Bianchi Eros Donna (or a bright blue Burley tandem), and usually have a soccer jersey on (yellow or red).

[Lise]

Hope to see you around the trails---how will I know it's you? I am riding an bleached celeste '06 Bianchi Eros Donna (or a bright blue Burley tandem), and usually have a soccer jersey on (yellow or red).
Good luck--hope you gals find each other on the trail. I will never forget yelling "BETA!" when a cyclist in a Google jersey passed me going in the opposite direction on the lakefront path, and hearing, "yeah?" yelled back! It was her! What fun to find each other.

[KnottedYet]

I pretty much just ride to and from work. I have a pale blue Kona Dew with a gray pannier on the left. My helmet is pink and I wear a screaming yellow jacket or vest.

Sometimes I ride on the Burke.

[Nanci]

It starts out with zig-zaggy clear lines in the middle or slightly to the outsides, that get brighter and brighter, and then from the outside it turns black and the blackness, which makes it like a round tunnel, closes in and in (but never completely closes) and then in 20 minutes, vanishes like nothing ever happened.

I've never had a migraine, either.

I love caffeine- and I only get the weird visual disturbance like once a year.

I did have an eye twitch for two weeks after trying MDX for the first time...

[Trek420]

Hey Knoted, Salsa, you PNW folk should get a Seattle ride going.

Bikerz's working on a leisurly weekend ride around Bay Area parts. Spazz, if you're lurking, we'll get you out there yet. :)

[Brina]

If I drink caffeine, my peripheral vision gets wacky and kind of wiggles. My heart also gets fluttery. I stay completely away from caffeine now and I'm fine. Is this similar to what you get? I've never had a migraine, so I don't know what the aura is like.


If I don't drink caffeine i fall over and die.

[DirtDiva]

Ditto. :rolleyes: :D

[snapdragen]

If I don't drink caffeine i fall over and die.
Double ditto. I quite smoking, I refuse to give up caffeine :rolleyes: :p

[SadieKate]

OMG, I think I have to give it up. Certain problems in the, erm, lower regions seemed to point to a certain brand of coffee. So, I've gone off it and haven't been drinking a cup of any brand (even the non-offending ones) every morning. I noticed last week that I was getting a racing heart. Had a cup today for the first time in since Monday. Racing heart is back today. Could it be the position of my chair at work? The days I work at home I'm not drinking coffee and don't have the problem.

Nooooooooo! Decaf is such a pain because my closest LCS doesn't keep decaf ready to go.

OK, changing my chair to see if I'm slumping unconsciously.

[Trek420]

snapdragen "I refuse to give up caffeine :rolleyes: :p"

where is the jersey that says "Death before decaffe" ;) :rolleyes: Yes, I know I should give it up.

[DirtDiva]

http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=sticktocoffee.jpg&category=Signs/Posters&date=2003-06-27

[bikerz]

TL - you are right - that hoodie is the best! (sorry - probably cross-posting here!)

[DirtDiva]

Pretty sure cross-posting is legit in the Thread Drift thread. It comes in a t-shirt (http://www.engrish-store.com/sttocoalwote.html) and a sticker (http://www.engrish-store.com/sttocoalst.html) too. :D

[Trek420]

Crossposting is not just legit, it's required in thread drift. How is everyone today?

[SadieKate]

Trying to stay away from the caffeine so I bought a diet Sprite. Pee-uwwww! Sheesh, it's sweet.

I'm sure one of those "poo" signs on engrish would fit the situation. Yuck.

[Lise]

Trying to stay away from the caffeine so I bought a diet Sprite. Pee-uwwww! Sheesh, it's sweet.

I'm sure one of those "poo" signs on engrish would fit the situation. Yuck.
That stuff is puke-a-trocious. Try saying that in Engrish!

If I don't drink caffeine, I just lie there and die. For me, it's all about the timing. I'm working three night shifts this week :mad: one of them a 24 hour, well, really, two of them were 24s...anyway...hey, did you ever notice how Jack Bauer almost NEVER drinks coffee? I saw him drink a cup once at the end of season two or three...drifting within the thread drift thread...so if I don't drink coffee at about 6:30AM, I get a horrendous headache later in the day. But if I drink it much after 7 AM, then I can't sleep when I get home around 11AM...I suck at sleeping, anyway. What were we talking about? :o

PS, since I've been sober >21 years, can I get one of those hoodies with a red line through the "and alcohol" part?!?

[snapdragen]

PS, since I've been sober >21 years, can I get one of those hoodies with a red line through the "and alcohol" part?!?

Here ya go lise....

[Lise]

Snapdragen Rocks!
First you get me my beloved dachshund avatar, then you give me customized Engrish!!! You're the best! :D :D :D

Speaking of the doxie, did you catch the thread on Open Topic about "what the heck is that yellow thing in the doxie's mouth?" Some speculated banana slug. I'm sticking with bandana. Since you found it for me, snap, what do you think it is, eh?

Thanks again! L.

[maillotpois]

Wow - Snap does rock. That was some pretty prompt personalization!!

I only have one latte a day. It is a 5 shot latte. If its not people who "know" about me at Peets' they go "You know that's 5 shots...?" and look at me like I should be hitting the methadone instead. Typically I make it at home to avoid the judgment.

I love a good engrish on the thread drift. Keep 'em coming!

Oh - and SK - diet Sprite?? Seriously?? BLEECH!!!

[Lise]

I only have one latte a day. It is a 5 shot latte. If its not people who "know" about me at Peets' they go "You know that's 5 shots...?" and look at me like I should be hitting the methadone instead. Typically I make it at home to avoid the judgment.
Get it all over with in one fell swoop, eh? ;) I love strong, dark coffee. I only drink the labor & delivery coffee out of a styrofoam cup for medicinal purposes. It's not as bad as diet Sprite, though!

[maillotpois]

Nothing is as bad as diet Sprite. Seriously. I hope SK's okay. She's been awfully quiet since she had that...

Possible alternative drinks include:

http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=wild-drip.jpg&category=Drinks&date=2006-01-27

http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=coolpis.jpg&category=Drinks&date=2003-11-28

or..

http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=BM.jpg&category=Drinks&date=1996-09-10

Also a laxative...

[KnottedYet]

Coffee is my friend.

http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html

[maillotpois]

Coffee is my friend.

We've gone beyond "just friends", coffee and I...

[snapdragen]

It's either a bandana or a yellow collar. It's from a picture I found online of a dachshund race.

[maillotpois]

Sorry, Snap - the other one looks like a bagel - I mean a beagle.

[Lise]

It's either a bandana or a yellow collar. It's from a picture I found online of a dachshund race.
Oh, this is so funny, in so many ways. A dachshund race. What kind of food is at the finish line, to get them to all run in the same direction? :p And that other one does have a total beagle face, but looks as tall as a doxie, so I'm thinkin' somebody was getting busy in the neighbor's back yard! ;) Would that be a doxabeagle? A beaglehund? A doxle? What a great picture. "My" doxie looks rather demented, er, I mean determined close up. Thanks, again, snap, for finding me the perfect avatar! :) Glad to know where it came from, too. L.

[SadieKate]

Nothing is as bad as diet Sprite. Seriously. I hope SK's okay. She's been awfully quiet since she had that...

Possible alternative drinks include:. . .

Whew, is today over yet? Caffeine palpitations, sales weasels popping up, performance review (which of course I needlessly worried about), no lunch, diet Sprite experiment, sales weasel call at 4:30, detour home due to 7 car crash on highway (and only route home that doesn't go into the back of beyond), and now MP is suggesting a laxative. Go ahead, just continue heaping it on. I can take it . . . maybe.

http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=aramo1.gif&category=Video%20Games&date=2002-10-02

[snapdragen]

Sorry, Snap - the other one looks like a bagel - I mean a beagle.

Yeah, I'm sure it is a beagle - person who took the picture is probably a cat lover....:D

[Dianyla]

*slowly raising hand* I actually like diet Sprite.

And to keep this engrish related, my favorite sushi restaurant spells it:

"Splait"

[Brina]

Snapdragen Rocks!
First you get me my beloved dachshund avatar, then you give me customized Engrish!!! You're the best! :D :D :D



I have been thinking all this time that it is your doxie in your av.



I only have one latte a day. It is a 5 shot latte. If its not people who "know" about me at Peets' they go "You know that's 5 shots...?" and look at me like I should be hitting the methadone instead. Typically I make it at home to avoid the judgment.

I thought I invented the 5 shot latte. When i walk in the the local starbucks the girl holds up her hand with her 5 fingers spread out. I return the sign and it is ready by the time I get to the front of the line.

[Lise]

I have been thinking all this time that it is your doxie in your av.
Only in the sense that I love all dachshunds, and, therefore, all doxies are mine. I will try to find a picture of Schatzi, our pup who lived to be 19. If I can find it, the best one is of her with Orphan Annie, our English Setter. Annie was still a baby, but bigger than Schatzi. There's a shot of them, nose to nose, Schatzi clearly in charge, laying down the law for this big galumph of an English Setter. :p I'm indebted to snap for finding this picture for me. I don't have any pictures of Schatzi running, but this one captures her spirit. She was a miniature, black and red, smooth coated girl. I miss her. She died in....'85, I think.



I thought I invented the 5 shot latte. When i walk in the the local starbucks the girl holds up her hand with her 5 fingers spread out. I return the sign and it is ready by the time I get to the front of the line.
This is hilarious. Talk about service! :D

[maillotpois]

Wow, SK what a DAY!! Good thing you survived!

You guys are super! And Brina - I am so glad it is not just me!!

Working on the 5 shotter right now. I can feel my coordination slowly coming back from being worked up a bit too early by the kid who said "We have to sleep in Saturday", but wanted to bring me breakfast in bed. So she lay next to me poking me with the menu she'd drawn up for about 15 minutes til I finally gave in. Toast and blueberry jam in bed, while she had cinnamon toast on DH's side of the bed. I'm sure there are no crumbs over there... :p

[SadieKate]

I also thought I'd lost a jewelry case with my "fancy" wedding ring, the one I don't wear because bike gloves catch on it. 9 pm and I'm finally standing there dangling it in front of Bubba who was asleep on the sofa. Whew.

Off to have my one shot test. Going to try a single iced latte instead of my normal large cup of coffee with mega cream. Wonder if there is a caffeine difference.

[snapdragen]

Caffeine Corner (http://www.cspinet.org/nah/caffeine/caffeine_corner.htm)

[maillotpois]

Caffeine Corner (http://www.cspinet.org/nah/caffeine/caffeine_corner.htm)


Wow. Looks like even a 5 shot latte isn't nearly as bad as a large coffee. I'd heard that. Interesting to see the breakdown.

SK - I stopped wearing my diamond engagement ring (still very simple) because of cycling. I Just hardly wear it at all. I did a century with it when I first started riding, and the gold band became misshapen. Yikes!!! So it sits in the box, too and I just wear the fat, plain gold band.

[KnottedYet]

S.O. and I have titanium rings. No titanium bikes yet... Haven't bent or deformed my ring so far.

Two good ti ring sources: www.boccia.com and www.titaniumarts.com

Titanium Arts/One Off makes bikes and arm-bikes, too.

My cousin races arm-bikes. I came up behind him once on a dirt road. Broad, bronzed back; incredible strong shoulders; manly muscled arms; flowing golden-blond hair. No wonder he's surrounded by girls with hearts-aflutter!

No, he wasn't wearing a helmet. Or a shirt.

[Lise]

My cousin races arm-bikes. I came up behind him once on a dirt road. Broad, bronzed back; incredible strong shoulders; manly muscled arms; flowing golden-blond hair. No wonder he's surrounded by girls with hearts-aflutter!
And do we have a picture to share?!? :p

[SadieKate]

Caffeine Corner (http://www.cspinet.org/nah/caffeine/caffeine_corner.htm)
Wow, those numbers seem a bit skewed, coffee high and espresso low. I wonder if Starbucks has more highly caffeinated coffee than others.

I looked at several university sites (and who knows if the content is licensed from the same vendor) but these are the numbers I found for generic coffee and espresso.
http://nutritionservices.upmc.com/NutritionArticles/Nutrition/Caffeine.htm

Whenever I buy a peppermint mocha or an iced latte, I get a single shot. That looks like the better way to go. Last Friday, Monday and yesterday I had a racing heart and I had had on my morning commute at least 8 oz of coffee (maybe 10 as I get a "regular coffee in a large cup" to provide lots of room for cream). SS iced latte today immediately before a bike ride and no problems.

Hmmmmmmmmm. More peppermint mochas? :D

[SadieKate]

Hey! Peet's has a new jersey out! $10 goes to Team in Training.

http://www.peets.com/shop/essentials_cycling.asp?&ct_feature5Image

[SadieKate]

Do your deep roasted coffees contain more caffeine than other, lighter coffees?
Fine coffees at any degree of roast contain roughly the same amount of caffeine (about 100 mg per cup). A single shot of espresso, while it may taste "stronger,"contains less caffeine than a regular cup of coffee (only about 70 mg.) because it is made with less ground coffee.

I think they're assuming that a cup of coffee is 6 oz since they're brewing instructions state a cup is 6 oz.

OK, I'm switching back to the foo-foo drinks because I'm probably picking up twice the caffeine with my big brewed cup.

[KnottedYet]

My bike is at the shop. Tune-up time. The guys were excited to talk to me about how I liked my Serfas saddle, and my Frogs, and my bike in general. I'm becoming a regular there. I think I wander in almost once a week...

They're gonna check a factory-installed dent in my left seat stay, and chop off 1 inch on each end of my bar, as well as the usual stuff.

I feel kinda lost without my bike...

Get it back Wednesday.

Maybe I'll make myself some coffee to console me. (decaf:D )

[snapdragen]

Boom Ch Ch (http://svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf)

You will either laugh your behind off, or scratch your head...perplexed.

[Lise]

Boom Ch Ch (http://svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf)

You will either laugh your behind off, or scratch your head...perplexed.
Perplexed. It appears to be four horses, standing around making eyes at each other. Or three horses making eyes at one other horse. I turned on the sound. No sound. Please, illuminate me. :confused: L.

[snapdragen]

Please, illuminate me. :confused: L.

Click on the horses....

[KnottedYet]

Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!

That is so cool! I played with it, and had a big grin!

Nice find, where did you get it?

[Lise]

Ahhhh! I clicked! Fun! Thx :D L.

[Nanci]

So I'm outside, grilling pork chops, sitting in my chair with my feet up in the other chair, savoring a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, reading Lance Armstrong's War, when two Mockingbirds fly by like a pair of fighter jets, one foot away from my feet! So cool...

Boy, those baby eagles are getting big!

[KnottedYet]

Mmmmmmm, pork chops.....

Small Knot won't eat red meat and doesn't want it in the house, either. He's kind of converted me. But pork chops.... or steak.... or pot roast....

sigh.

[Nanci]

I wish I didn't like to eat tasty animals, and if I had to kill my own, I'm sure I would not be able to, because, I don't know, I think the whole practice is kind of inhumane, but, I still like meat. That kind of bothers me. But if you're _going to_ eat meat, then red meat is pretty important in terms of iron. Chicken is low fat. Fish have whatever that fatty acid is that you need. Omega 3. I wonder if humans were _meant_ to eat meat, like it's essential, and those who choose not to are not having optimal nutrition, or if we can live just as well without it. I sure love a nice steak though.

But if you ever read "Fast Food Nation," I guarantee you won't eat hamburger for at least six months...

[KnottedYet]

Small Knot figured that one out already: turkey burgers!

I've butchered chickens in my time, and have no problem eating birds or fish or invertebrate critters. Haven't butchered a mammal, and don't know if I could. SKnot says if you couldn't butcher it, you shouldn't eat it. Why make someone else commit the sin you wouldn't?

but.... I liiiiiike pork chops and steak and pot roast!

[Lise]

but.... I liiiiiike pork chops and steak and pot roast!Especially pot roast. I have a theory that comfort food is often the poor people's food of whatever clan you come from. For me, mac and cheese, meat loaf (meat gound up with bread crumbs) and pot roast (tough cut of meat, cooked for a long time). How lucky am I to come from a place where meat can be part of the "poor people's food", right? While I enjoy steak, I can only eat a little bit of it, usually. Pork chops were a big treat for us, but usually so overcooked that I associate them with dry and tasteless. My mom made great hamburgers on the grill. If it were up to me to slaughter my own meat, it would not happen. Unless I was starving, in which case, it's every species for itself!

Knotted--how old is small knot? I seem to remember 12, 13ish? Somebody I know said that children are natural vegetarians. Neither my nephew (6) nor niece (2 1/2) will eat meat. My niece, otherwise an omnivore, will search out any meat on her plate, remove it, and give it to whatever adult is closest, saying, "I don' wan' it!" :p L.

[KnottedYet]

Yeah, 13. He started the no-red-meat thing last summer. He's stuck to it, and I go along with it.

He's never been real crazy about red meat.

[uk elephant]

...I wonder if humans were _meant_ to eat meat, like it's essential, and those who choose not to are not having optimal nutrition, or if we can live just as well without it. ...

We have incisors (sharp, pointy teeth for ripping up meat) and we have a miniscule appendix (which is where other vegetarian species ferment the foliage to extract nutrients). In other words, we are designed to be omnivorous including meat in our diet. You can survive without meat, but we are designed to eat it.

And it tastes good! Especially grilled pork. Mmmm.....if only I had a garden and a bbq....And I don't think I will have a problem killing my own meat if I had to. Sure the lambs look cute in the field, but they also taste nice cooked...But if I can get meat from happy animals who have been well cared for and have had a good life before ending up on my plate, I will of course prefer it. Happy animals taste much better anyway.

[crazycanuck]

Fast Food nation-a must read for everyone...The gent's second book wasn't as good though...I refuse to go to any fast food outlet...(betty burgers-a local chain- is ok though...)

Off to make a menu for the week....

Ah & i am writing down eveything i eat & am subscribing to Calorie king...

c

[Nanci]

I used to have chickens. Well, I started out with one, and let her have three babies. Her name was Jewel. She was a banty chicken I got from the pig farmer across the street when my daughter was over there playing around the pig barn and noticed that Jewel's babies were falling into the pens and being eaten! So we begged to have Jewel. She had a ton of personality. I loved that hen so much...But anyway, she settled into our barn, and began laying eggs. Her eggs were small and brown and perfect. I saved up enough to make scrambled eggs- you need about two or three banty eggs to equal one standard chicken egg. I kind of felt like a murderer at first, eating the potential chicks, but I got over it. Free-range chicken eggs are so much better than store-bought eggs. The birds eat insects and greens and stuff, so the egg yolks are so orange they don't even look real when you are used to pale yellow store-bought eggs. Then, the yolks are round! Not flattened out because they aren't fresh. So anyway, if I had to kill my own food, I could eat eggs and possibly fish...

[Nanci]

http://tinyurl.com/r8vr9

Who cares about hurricanes when you can have three fatal alligator attacks in one week???

[Lise]

http://tinyurl.com/r8vr9

Who cares about hurricanes when you can have three fatal alligator attacks in one week???
I didn't even open that tiny url. Nooooo thank you.

I read that post first, then the one about Jewel. I was afraid it was going to end with "and then Jewel got eaten by an alligator". So what happened to Jewel? Do you have any other banty chix? Am I correct in reading that the baby banty chicks were being eaten by pigs? Oh, I like my meat wrapped in plastic, yes I do. I could eat the eggs of a chicken I cared for. I figure, I feed her, she feeds me. I mean, they're not going to support groups to help them mourn the loss of their unborn babies or anything...as we learned from our collective eagle experience. I would not eat eagle eggs, though. :rolleyes: drifting....drifting...

[maillotpois]

OMG - "Small Knot"!! That's great!

[Nanci]

Jewel got eaten by a fox the day before she and I were to move to Florida...I do not remember why she wan't safely locked up at night as was our rule.

Yes, the chicks were eaten by pigs. Pigs are kind of violent and scary. There is this big barn, with small pens, each with a momma pig and babies. When one momma pig lies down to nurse, the rest all immediately follow suit. This is because if they didn't all nurse at one time, the babies, who are small enough to travel from one pen to the next, will go from pen to pen getting more and more meals, with the big ones always winning and the small ones starving.

Two of Jewel's (adult) chicks were eaten by a raccoon. I killed the raccoon, which I trapped with a fragment of one of the dead daughters.

Jewel had another baby, a beautiful rooster named Speckledy Bird. He was a beloved pet for almost a year, but went back to live on the pig farm as a full grown adult because he was chasing people.

We had lots of other banties which Kelly showed in 4H, which were given away before we moved. By that time I had a secure Poultry Palace for them to live in, and the rules were they all had to be in by dark.

Banties love to sit on nests. I thought I was collecting all the eggs, but then I found a huge nest which they had been communally laying in. I decided, since we had no rooster, to let them sit on it. Great, a few weeks later, one of the hens is running around proud as can be with a chick. I named him Jesus. (Not meaning any disrespect!) Hens can apparently store sperm for a couple months... Jesus was eventually eaten by the same fox that got Jewel, at a very young age. (Maybe I was distracted in my henhouse security vigilance by the massive divorce/move/child custody thing that was going on at the time.)

[Lise]

(Maybe I was distracted in my henhouse security vigilance by the massive divorce/move/child custody thing that was going on at the time.)
Yeah, that'll put you off chicken duty.

Thank you for another great Nanci story. Sorry so many chickens had to die. I guess I knew that pigs were kind of ... awful. Babe notwithstanding. L.

[Nanci]

I guess pigs are omnivores just like us. Or chickens, for that matter. You should see them (hens) go after pinkie mice if you accidentally uncover a nest in a hay pile.

[Lise]

I guess pigs are omnivores just like us. Or chickens, for that matter. You should see them (hens) go after pinkie mice if you accidentally uncover a nest in a hay pile.
I did not know this about chickens. So it's a pig eat chick eat mouse world, eh? And humans eat all.

[KnottedYet]

Minor Quasi-Mechanical Triumph

Got my bike back from the shop. (yay! Hooray! Darn, I missed my bike!)
Bought new grips for it, just 'cuz. Kinda like buying chocolates for your sweetie, just 'cuz. 'Sides, they'll share.

Used my Park Tool Big Blue Book and a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a screwdriver (the tool, not the drink) and switched the grips. Now I've got super cushie Ritcheys with thick-thin-thick-thin-thick sculptural business. Very comfy.

They cut off an inch from each end of the bar, seems quite an improvement. Haven't ridden yet, no time today.

Picked up a Park Tool chain gang so I can clean my cruddy looking chain. I did notice the shop guys removed the two dried up worms that were stuck to the frame. Better them than me... hee hee!

[DirtDiva]

Every single time I ride my bike I think "I must buy some lock-on grips." Every. Single. Time. Why did I have to promise myself I wouldn't shop until at least the end of the month when the bills have all been paid? :rolleyes:

[DrBee]

Why is it that when it's 89F outside and windy that the wind doesn't seem to cool you down when riding? I felt like I was cooking today on my ride.

Here's another question that came to mind today. Why do farmers here burn their fields? Does this happen elsewhere? And - why do they burn the fields on the windy days? Seems dangerous to me. It's also a bit late to be burning fields - most are already planted. Hmmmmm. It's not good breathing air, that's for sure.

[Nanci]

Which would be better- a little wooden dining table and four chairs and possibly the umbrella at some later point (I already have two metal/mesh chairs and a small plastic table on my 4x12 shadeless-till-evening patio) or a swing and cushion to hang under my oak tree (I envision naps and books), or two of those cool retro-looking metal chairs with a matching table?

[Trek420]

fishdr, I don't know why farmers burn fields especially at this season. Where i grew up farmers used to burn not the field but i think they were called smudge pots, to prevent frost on cold mornings. Most now use huge fans instead of the pots.

nanci, my vote is always for a book and nap. :)

[bikerz]

I love hammocks and swings, and also those retro metal gliders are nice.

[Nanci]

There is also a free-standing hammock. That way I wouldn't be tied down. I think the wooden chairs and table might not be weather-proof. I like stuff that can stay out all the time. Of course, squirrels like to eat hammocks. I would like to be able to host an imaginary barbecue and actually have seating for everyone, though. But when I was out the other night, with the love bugs and the flies- it didn't seem like such a great idea. Our house is just so small inside. Ok for two, but we don't even have a dining room table- I eat in my TV chair, and BF sits on the floor in front of the couch. Well, we _do_ have a table, but it is more like the mail/purse/cell phone charger/ keys/stuff from bike rides/flyers/magazines holder.

This all stems from a catalog with $400 approved credit...

If I had $400 at Lowe's or Home Depot, I'd be building a luxury tortoise pen instead!

I'm such a bad mother I made my daughter sleep on the couch rather than disturb Dill on his bed in the guest bedroom...He's just too fragile and set in his ways and inflexible.

She brought wild rice from Up North. Can't find it down here.

I love weekends when I don't have to be up at the crack of dawn either day.

Except I like to get up really early and drink several cups of Santa's White Christmas and read e-mail.

Time to take the torts out to graze.

I wonder what the neighbors think- there I am, sitting in the middle of five acres, drinking a glass of wine. The torts are too small to see. I do this every night.

Who cares.

I'm glad I live in the country.

I think I will go on a nice long ride from my house tomorrow while it is still cool.

[Nanci]

I've launched another shorts investigation. I bought three pairs from Performance- Century Gel, Century Gel Lite, and Elite. The first two were half off, the third was $10 or $15 off. All for $100. Will report.

There are several pairs over $100 I want to try eventually. It's just not in the budget at the moment.

I wore my Primals today instead of the usual Trashy Cats. They are much longer. Covered up my horrible burn from last Saturday.

This was the first day since I got it months ago that Bolero didn't get to go on my ride...

Still loving the 2005 Shimano sandals. Another lady in my group was wearing them today. I see no reason to wear shoes ever again! :-)

[DrBee]

Nanci - I vote for the swing. I have one and LOVE it! It should last longer than the hammock and is more usable for the imaginary BBQs.

Trek - I'm pretty sure this is not for frost. It's mind boggling to watch these farmers and what they do to their fields. They spray roundup, they burn, they spray who-knows what else. There's a lot of cotton grown around here. Fall is a nightmare. I pretty much can't ride for the month of September. That's when they defoliate the cotton. "They" say it's safe, but it smells like erasers. Yes, erasers. It must be petroleum based. All I know is that everyone starts coughing and having sinus issues. Major issues. My flight response kicks in big time in September. We're going to take a couple of weekend trips this year to escape some of the fumes.

[Nanci]

Buttercup and Koko enjoy wild blackberries. My daughter says they look like they have been "murdering."

[snapdragen]

Buttercup and Koko enjoy wild blackberries. My daughter says they look like they have been "murdering."

I thought they were wearing lipstick!

[Nanci]

I have to watch Brokebike Mountain again...

[Lise]

Those are some seriously prehistoric looking creatures. With lipstick. Great picture! L.

[DrBee]

Aaaccckkkkk! The carnage! Those poor innocent blackberries!;) :D

[maillotpois]

Tortoises in drag...

[Nanci]

I have to go feed their three siblings that a friend of mine has. She can't make it home as planned because her BF, one of my best friends of all time, is in the decompression chamber after a diving accident yesterday...I have barely any details, I am very worried. He's in a city about two hours away. I'm under instructions to not even tell _my_ BF, which is stressing me out.

[Lise]

I have to go feed their three siblings that a friend of mine has. She can't make it home as planned because her BF, one of my best friends of all time, is in the decompression chamber after a diving accident yesterday...I have barely any details, I am very worried. He's in a city about two hours away. I'm under instructions to not even tell _my_ BF, which is stressing me out.
Oh, man, I am so sorry to hear that. Do keep us posted on his well-being. Sending healing thoughts his way. L.

[KnottedYet]

Diving accidents are scarey. Even near misses are scarey, which is why I chickened out and don't dive anymore.

Thinking good thoughts for him.

[KnottedYet]

Musical Intervention Needed.

I have listened to "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan way too many times this evening.

Tried "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas as an antidote. Not so much. "Where's Your Head At" by Basement Jaxx. Well, we know where my head's at...

And let us not pour gasoline on the fire with "Lay my Love" by Brian Eno, "Need You Tonight" INXS, "Sweet Surrender" by SMcL, "Bad Things" Jace Everett, "Oh Yeah" Yello, "Honkytonk Badonkadonk" by Trace Atkins, or ANYTHING AT ALL by Melissa Etheridge. (k.d. is right out)

Not even Garbage can help me now!

Help!

[snapdragen]

Not even Garbage can help me now!

Help!

Take 3 Billy Idols, maybe mix in some 4 Ramones.........

[crazycanuck]

KNotted yet...musique help has possibly arrived or mabye not...If i'm ever bored i listen to the gazillion hours of music we've downloaded...

Why not try
:some early Tragically hip...(new orleans is sinking(written many many years ago...), 100th meridian, little bones..),

Bryan Adams -remember, this time, cuts like a knife, kids wanna rock

AC/DC (back in black), Metallica (one), Kiss (i was made for lovin you), Cold chisel (khe sahn), jimmy barnes (working class man), midnight oil (generals), aerosmith-dream on, springsteen-born in the usa, Che fu-fade away, bowie-any of his early stuff..., led zep-ramble on,kate bush-babushka & weuthering heights

And last but not least...Every song by queen-eg-..Tenement Funster, I'm in love with my car, 39, teo teorriate, princes of the universe, fight from the inside,loser in the end, i want it all....


c

[Nanci]

The music video for "Where's Your Head At?" is my ALL time favorite!!!

Friend is in ICU for the night. Possibly getting discharged today. I told BF last night because he was saying we should call him up for dinner, so I had to, right?? :-)

Another friend called last night, that lives in Medory (sp?). He had to sell his house after Katrina, because A. it was ruined and B. to rebuild it, they would have to raise it six feet. So they have been renting, and he wants to leave New Orleans and Louisianna all together, but his wife has rellies and won't go...That whole thing, all those people, it is NEVER going to be ok again.

[Brina]

glad to hear your friend will be discharged soon. I love to dive, but the risk of accidents does scare me, especially now that I have kids. In a way, it is almost better that dh does not dive anymore - no risk of both of us getting into an accident.

[DrBee]

Friend is in ICU for the night. Possibly getting discharged today. I told BF last night because he was saying we should call him up for dinner, so I had to, right?? :-)

Another friend called last night, that lives in Medory (sp?). He had to sell his house after Katrina, because A. it was ruined and B. to rebuild it, they would have to raise it six feet. So they have been renting, and he wants to leave New Orleans and Louisianna all together, but his wife has rellies and won't go...That whole thing, all those people, it is NEVER going to be ok again.

Glad to hear your friend is recovering. I hope he gets discharged today - that would be great!

And - it's Metarie, LA.

I just found out about a job opportunity in Baton Rouge, that I might apply for. It's essentially my job now, but on bees instead of catfish. My hubby really wants to get back to Louisiana. I miss it, too. We'd only be about 45 minutes from his parents. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. There are positives and negatives. Ugh!

[Nanci]

Will you have to change your name to beedoc?

[KnottedYet]

"positives and negatives"

My first thought: bees sting! catfish don't!

I enjoy paddling in the shallow waters of my mind.....:D

Nanci, glad your friend is getting out of hospital. I have to find that Basement Jaxx video now. Hopefully it's on iTunes somewhere.

I get mad hearing about people from N.O. who are selling their property for pennies because they can't fix it, and a developer offers them a tiny bit of money then will make a huge profit "rebuilding" and reselling. I know that's the miracle of capitalism, but it just seems so incredibly unfair. And how can you get N.O. back when the original people have left and richer new people from out of the area are going to be the only ones able to afford the new houses/redevelopment?

[DrBee]

Catfish have nasty spines in their fins that can do some serious damage.

Beedoc - I like that :)

My quandry about applying for this job is that my postdoc is also applying for it. I honestly do not think that she will qualify - it is a mol. biol. position and she is a microbiologist. She did not qualify as a mol. biol when she applied to be my postdoc. I may pull my app if she does qualify. What to do.. what to do...

There is something wierd going on with my computer or this site. If I type an apostrophe, it automatically goes to a find window at the bottom of the screen. Very wierd.

[Nanci]

I've been "stung" a million times by Yellow Bullheads, especially as a kid, especially when trying to capture a whole ball of the babies. Bullheads are so cool to watch- they build a nest, guard it, suck the babies into their mouths to protect them. I've always liked seeing them in caves, while diving, too. They get way back in there sometimes! It's fun to try to sneak up on them and touch them- then they go blasting off through the silt, stirring up big clouds.

My friend had to visit the hyperbaric chamber again this morning. I don't know if he's still being released today or not. Hopefully.

http://tinyurl.com/rdyxt

Try this for the "Where's Your Head At" video!

[maillotpois]

Wow, Nanci - I hope your friend gets discharged. What a scary thing. And I agree, NO will never be okay again and the whole thingjust makes me so angry. More than I was to begin with.

BZZDoc.... What an interesting quandry about your post doc and that position. Hmm.

Can't believe I have another double in 2 weeks. That's not a big break between doubles, but I am really enjoying riding my bike...

[DrBee]

I am really stressing about this today. I think it would be a good move for me and for my family. It would be nice for the kids to be near one set of grandparents. Right now, they are 5 and 17 hours away.

I just found out that the postdoc funding would be continued here for the remainder of the 2 years. So it wouldn't put her out too badly. She could also apply for my job. See - at first, I saw the job listing and thought about it. Talked it over briefly with Mr. Fish and then we decided "no". So, then I told my postdoc that I had thought about it and decided not to apply and suggested that she think about it. I told her I didn't think she'd qualify, but it might be worth a shot. After being with family over mother's day weekend and thinking about lots of other things, Mr. Fish and I discussed it again over the weekend and changed our minds. We would both love to get back to Louisiana. So - now I can apply and hope the postdoc doesn't qualify or pull my application if she qualifies orrrrrrr compete with her and win. See the quandry? Thanks for listening. What would you do? :confused: Bzzdoc - cute :)

Nanci - any new word about your friend?

MP - I just wish I could ride! I'm waiting for the replacement tubes to arrive. Should be here in a couple of days. I might have to take the hybrid out and go for a quick spin. There are always those new running shoes sitting here staring at me...

[Nanci]

Bzz/fishdoc- I think you should do what's right for you- not for the post doc student. Even if _you_ don't apply, some other person, more qualified than post doc might.

Friend has two more chamber rides tomorrow- he just called me, sounds ok. This is a person who moved to Florida specifically to do exploration diving, who has over a hundred thousand invested in equipment- we're hoping for further investigation to not find anything such as a patent foramen ovale that would have allowed bubbles to get through to his brain (causing the seizure)- hoping for it being "just" lungs that weren't functioning optimally to filter bubbles out, because of the pulmonary edema...

I was suspicious that I had a PFO and got it diagnosed before it hurt or killed me- but I know how he feels- it's like this huge portion of your life, your reason for everything you do, your connection to all your friends could potentially be lost.

[DrBee]

Thanks for the advice Nanci - I see your point. I've given her a job here that she's guaranteed to have for 2 years. That's not bad. The kicker is that she really wants to move to Baton Rouge. She currently commutes on the weekends to near there (in the Atchafalaya) where her husband and kids still live. But - I do have to look out for me, too. She's not coming in this week until Thursday - I'm going to talk to her about it then.

I don't know much about PFO - can you still dive with that condition? Maybe shallow dives? Wow. I hope it is "just" the lungs. Do keep us posted. Do they have any idea how long he'll have to be in the hospital? I'd imagine it would get pretty claustrophobic in the chamber. How long is each treatment?

[Nanci]

I think he gets out tomorrow. Chamber treatments are usually 2-6 hours. Some chambers are big enough for a hospital bed or two. I haven't seen the one he's at.

I have a PFO, and I don't get symptoms until I dive deeper than 110 feet. So, theoretically, I could still be doing shallow dives. But I also have AVMs in my lungs- arteriovenous malformations- where arteries go to veins with no capillaries in between, so bubbles that would normally get filtered out by the lungs go right through, potentially to cause trouble by lodging in the brain somewhere. If I only had the PFO, I would have had that fixed, which, for me, would have involved robot surgery and heart/lung bypass, but it would have been worth it- that's how much I loved diving.

[Trek420]

Fishdoc, I agree with Nanci, go for what feels right for you. I'm sure that Fish-post-doc-student will not take it personal, and in this line of work anything can happen. Neither of you are gauranteed the job, so why not go for it. But what do I know? I'm just a po' phone co. worker and the only one in my family WITHOUT a post grad degree or higher ;)

So I'd be interested to hear what my sis "Bikeless in WI doc" & neice "UK Eliphant post doc student" say about this :) Fambly?

I'm off work today, just back from 2nd long walk with dog, puttering around the house and TV is running in the background with an infomercial for Pilates. "I've lost ___ lbs, I've lost ____ inches, I've lost ____ dress sizes..."

Need one of those for "get off the couch and onto your bike" ....maybe not ;)

Nanci, hope your friend is ok. I've never done more than a little snorkeling. Scuba sounds so beautiful yet things can go wrong. I used to rock climb in my youth, and these sports where you are dependant on your equipment, one fall and you and your climb partner hanging by a piece of metal the size of a postage stamp....so what do I get into? cycling.

[Lise]

PFO--so interesting. What keeps you alive as a fetus can kill you when you're on the outside. Hope your friend is improving. Please keep us posted. L.

[withm]

I have to go feed their three siblings that a friend of mine has. She can't make it home as planned because her BF, one of my best friends of all time, is in the decompression chamber after a diving accident yesterday...I have barely any details, I am very worried. He's in a city about two hours away. I'm under instructions to not even tell _my_ BF, which is stressing me out.


Been there, done that. 5 yrs ago this weekend I took a pretty good hit and ended up in the recompression chamber, with 4 chamber rides (or was it 5? can't remember) over the following week. I was very fortunate and now suffer no resididual effects, though it did take a few weeks for all the symptoms to go away. I continued to dive until 2 years ago when the boat I worked on was sold.

I will dive again, but will probably pass on cold water limited vis stuff, try to stick with warmer water. The diving up here just isn't that good to do it for recreation. It was "great" when I was younger, and they were paying ME to do it, but if I have to do the paying, not nearly good enough. LOL.

Anyway, your friend's BF will probably end up ok, but will probably feel lousy for a while, especially "mentally" as he re-lives the event. Everyone I know tends to get a little depressed when they get bent. I guess is the "how could it happen to me" reaction. If she (or he) wants to talk about it with someone that's been there, let me know. If I can help I will. I have been diving 30 yrs, and have done well over 1,000 dives.

Martha

[crazycanuck]

UGH...sitting here unable to think....What on earth was i thinking not taking my medication??? That and borrowing a road bike that may have been a bit too big for me. We believe it put too much pressure on my neck as i was holding it in a strange position....

So, i'm sitting at home wandering on the net reading about hashimoto's & reminding myself to not forget to take the eutroxig...I thought i could control the symptoms just by excercise alone...:( nope....

ian wanted to slap me with a wet fish yesterday....i won't tell my mom....

c

[Lise]

Sorry to hear about it, CC, but it sounds like it's just time to get back up on the horse, as it were. Get your thyroid back under control, respect her needs, and you'll be back on the bike soon. Maturity is the ability to say, "I was wrong", and change course to make it right. (((CC))) L.

[crazycanuck]

<<<<lise>>>>> thanks! I def won't forget to take me medication if it means being off my bike, no swimming or running...! Am feeling a bit better, no numbness but exhausted.

Nanci, how is your friend???

I've always wanted to try diving but never have. There's some great diving up in northern western australia at the ningaloo reef-whale sharks come & mate there..

c

[DrBee]

Nanci - how's your friend? Any word on when he's coming home?

CC - I had a friend that had thyroid problems. She was always bouncing up and down in weight and feeling good/bad. She eventually had it removed and it doing great!


Other drift... I just ran for the first time in 23 years. Yes, it's true. I didn't run for long and not very fast, but I did it! Now, I'm on my way to training for the triathlon :) Wow running uses different muscles. I like my shoes, though!

[snapdragen]

Today I'm playing hooky. I could not stand the thought of going to work. Gads, will I be able to last another 3-5 years before I retire.....

[Trek420]

9 years for me, don't know how I'll make it.

I've taken some vacation time off but the plan today instead of nesting/painting the humble adobe is that there's a hike at the OIompali State Historic Park.

I must have passed that park entrance countless times but have never been in as far as I recall unless I was very young. So...local Gay Lesbian Sierrans are having a hike, figured I'd go. The odd thing about this park is it's only accessible from one direction on 101. So all my life I've driven North and thought "someday I'll go in" and then some other time driving south "Nah, I don't have time.

So today I went.

There were two gals there, really nice hike, about 6 miles, nice group o' gals. We saw all kinds of wildlife, wild turkeys and lots of deer. The fawns were out in force. One trotted right up towards us on the path then went uphill and followed nearby but a few yards away before heading to Mom.

We couldn't figure out which of the historic buildings was the one the Gratefull Dead used to hang out in.

[DrBee]

Have fun on the hike. I envy those of you that are near retirement. At least I am able to work at home once a week. That helps get through the week.

It's freaky how much more work I've been getting done at home compared to at work. And that's with the kids running around and hubby corralling them.

Lunchtime - Later!

[DirtDiva]

Hey, some of us have 35+ years to go before retirement. I feel like the baby of this board sometimes... :rolleyes:

[snapdragen]

Hey, some of us have 35+ years to go before retirement. I feel like the baby of this board sometimes... :rolleyes:

Well, I did start working at age 3.........:rolleyes:

[Lise]

Other drift... I just ran for the first time in 23 years. Yes, it's true. I didn't run for long and not very fast, but I did it! Now, I'm on my way to training for the triathlon :) Wow running uses different muscles. I like my shoes, though!
Running fish doctor! YEA! :D L.

[DrBee]

Thanks Lise! :D I don't hurt too bad. I'm going to go again tomorrow morning before work. Eek!

I have decided to apply for the job. I'm telling my boss tomorrow. Then I'll have to tell my boss's boss. That should be a thrill. I tell the postdoc on Thursday. Think good thoughts for me - please :)

[Nanci]

Hey fishdr, I am running a marathon (Wickham Park) Sunday with _no_ training. I ran a 5k in November, and did the best in years, then another 5k in December, and totally sucked. So I am doing an experiment to see how my WP results, this year, with no running but losing 30 pounds and having ridden the Brevet series, compare to last year when I trained half-heartedly.

Friend might probably get discharged tomorrow. Sounds ok.

Went to see United 93. I didn't cry, but I easily could have. It was very, very good.

Oh, went to see Hoot with my daughter Friday- I liked it a lot.

Today I steered a rescued baby Great Horned Owl, found standing in the middle of the road for no apparent reason, to appropriate rehab.

I ordered a watch for the marathon, so I could time my splits, because I am too lazy to take one of my dead ones in to get the battery replaced. How pathetic. But it is a pretty green color!

My "real" watch, which is a month old, has an "ecodrive" so it will never, ever need a battery. I am the Queen of Dead Watches. But not anymore.

I have Blue Sport Beans, finally, and have resisted snacking on them in an inappropriate (not on the bike) manner.

The new shipment of three different Performance shorts hasn't arrived yet...

My AC, which froze up yesterday, is getting a tuneup Friday. I hope I don't have to buy a new AC for the house, because how could I do that...OTOH, more energy efficiency wouldn't be a bad thing, if they had some sort of financing I could afford.

And now it's time for leftover chicken alfredo!! With Gruner Veltliner!!

[maillotpois]

And now it's time for leftover chicken alfredo!! With Gruner Veltliner!!


Nanci, you just have really good taste in wine. I can tell that we would get in a lot of trouble if you and I were to meet in person.

[Lise]

Thanks Lise! :D I don't hurt too bad. I'm going to go again tomorrow morning before work. Eek!

I have decided to apply for the job. I'm telling my boss tomorrow. Then I'll have to tell my boss's boss. That should be a thrill. I tell the postdoc on Thursday. Think good thoughts for me - please :)
I'm glad you're going for it. :)

And the running, too.

[DrBee]

Good luck with the marathon Nanci! You're braver than I am - or crazier ;)..... but then again, I don't have the endurance to do the brevet rides like you do! Someday I might...

Glad to hear your friend is recovering well!

I'm with you on the watches. My "underwear" drawer has a nice stash of old watches that need batteries.

I've got to try those sport beans. They look so good, I'm afraid of extra-curricular snacking. I've been trying out the Luna bars as of late. They are pretty good. Easier to eat than clif bars - faster anyway.

I'm telling my boss about the job application within the next 1/2 hour. :eek:

[Lise]

I'm telling my boss about the job application within the next 1/2 hour. :eek:
This is what professionals do. You got through a whole lot of schooling, worked hard, continue to work hard, and you are the only one who will promote your career! Go! We are behind you! :D L.

[DrBee]

Lise - I'm getting ready to go tell my boss and I thought I'd check here to see if there were any last minute words of encouragement. You seriously just brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much! Now - to regain my composure and go. I'll let you know how it goes...:eek:

[Nanci]

maillotpois- I get in enough trouble with Dillbird and the torts- imagine if I had a real live human counterpart!

I have a bottle of Bonny Doon Viognier Doux in the fridge for tonight- mmmm! Last time I had that, I poured one glass, and very soon the entire (half) bottle was gone. Then a wine-loving neighbor came over, and I told her I just finished this incredible bottle- wait! I'll dig it out of the trash and you can taste the last drop! And she did!! So she loved it, and bought a bottle, and poured a glass for her elderly mother, who said "I'm not sure if I like this...can I have another glass?"

Dessert wine is dangerous!!

[Trek420]

checking my watch to see if fishdr posted results of her chat, and checking the sports watch, and the HRM watch, and the other ones, and the 5-10 year service anniversary watches, and the Mickey Mouse watch and the Minnie Mouse watch and .....

[DrBee]

I have just now made it back into my office. I did it! I told my boss. He took it very well. He said that he really didn't want me to go and that I'm an important part of the team, but that he would support me in my decision. Great guy!

Now - in 15 minutes, I'm meeting with my Area Director (of MS, LA, AL, and KY) to tell him. From his perspective, I'm not leaving, just moving to a new Unit. His secretary seemed to think he wouldn't be upset. He apparently does not take it too kindly when people apply to leave our area.

Eek! I'm so nervous about all of this! It really helps to know that my friends here support me! Thanks ladies! Keep thinking positive thoughts!

[DrBee]

Met with the AD. Very awesome meeting! He's going to be one of my references! Wahoo! He said (like 5 times) that I have a" very good chance" of getting the job! Can you believe that?! This has turned out to be a great day! Mr. Fish just talked to a contact he has at LSU and found out that it should be no problem at all for him to get a job (he has an MS in Physiology). Very cool! Now - all I need to do is get the lousy application filled out and get the job!

The only bad thing about today was that my FIL nearly cut his hand off with a table saw. He should regain most of the use of his hand, may have some limited mobility, but at least its only his left hand - he's right handed. Yeesh!

[maillotpois]

Good job Fish! (Sorry about the FIL - yuk!) Anyway I am so glad all went well.

Nanci - don't get me started on dessert wine.... Bonny Doon also makes a (faux) icewine that's pretty yummy. I say faux because they freeze the grapes as opposed to having them freeze on the vine like true icewine. Still yummy. I am also a huge madeira fan. Not Bual, though.

[DrBee]

So - total wine moron here - what does freezing the grapes do to the taste of the wine???

[maillotpois]

Icewine is a sweet, thick wine made from grapes which have been allowed to freeze on the vine. (Typically German or Canadian in origin). When the frozen grapes are pressed, the resulting juice apparently has a higher sugar content (and there must be something else going on chemically to make it almost viscous). That's a (drunk) layman's explanation.

[Brina]

So - total wine moron here - what does freezing the grapes do to the taste of the wine???


"To make Icewine, the grapes are left on the vine until after the first frost hits. These grapes are harvested after being frozen in the vineyard and then, while still frozen, they are pressed. They must be picked early - before 10 a.m. During both of these processes the temperature cannot exceed -8 degrees C. At this temperature (-8 degrees C) the berries will freeze as hard as marbles. While the grape is still in its frozen state, it is pressed and the water is driven out as shards of ice. This leaves a highly concentrated juice, very high in acids, sugars and aromatics." from Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) of Ontario


There are two things at work here affecting the sweetness. First, it is a late harvest and therefore the grapes are a bit overripe and therefore naturally sweeter. Second, the water freezes and then is forces out as ice leaving more sugar behind than if you press unfrozen grapes.

[DrBee]

Cool!

(ooh - sorry - bad pun - it's really uncontrolable, you know) ;)

[Nanci]

fishdr, it concentrates the sugar. For those who are making wine in climates that are not conductive to reliable freezing, we have the freezer to do it artificially! "Real" ice wine, such as that from New York, is VERY expensive. I have yet to taste it...(Like $60/half bottle and WAY up). I am hording a bottle of Riesling ice wine from California.

mp, you HAVE TO try the BD Viognier Doux...I've had the BD Muscat Ice Wine, very yummy. And also the Raspberry wine, made from three different raspberries. That's another one where I set out to have one dessert glass before bed and couldn't stop...

Have you ever tried Banyuls, from France? OMG, it's like, "deep, heavy, syrupy, raisiny, spicy, plum, prune" in my tasting notes...It's a Grenache dessert wine. Here in Florida the local wineries make some VERY nice sherries and ports from the native grapes.

[Trek420]

fishdr sez "Have fun on the hike. I envy those of you that are near retirement."

Hey, I'm nowhere near close, I think I posted here unless I win the Lotto it'll be 10 years, 5 months, 16 days...who'se counting?

What surprises me is how many of those I work with do not participate in the 401K. Aw c'mon, the company will MATCH 80% of your first 6 %, it's like throwing money away if you don't do it.

And Icewine...several years ago I was on vacation in the Toronto/Niagra Falls area and it looked like wonderful cycling country. Relatively flat, lots of wineries, beautiful roads and quaint towns.....road trip!

[DrBee]

I'm somewhere in the realm of 25 years from retirement. :rolleyes: Gov't makes you wait 30 years.

I now have all 3 of my references in line and I'm still working on the application.

Told the postdoc about my applying for the job. She took it really well. Whew! Major relief. She said she really understood. THEN she tells me about some major family stress that she had this past weekend and she broke down in tears. Lovely. I felt really lousy for dumping this info on her at such a lousy time for her. But I needed to tell her now before she heard it through the grapevine.

Speaking of grapevine - this icewine sounds really intereseting. I'll have to try to find some. The next time I'm near civilization, I'll have to look.

[KnottedYet]

Cheap wino review:

I have a very uneducated palate. I had a cool conversation with someone at work who said I should just buy wine that I can afford, and drink as broad a range as I can. Keep track of what I like and don't like.

So, I can safely say that I really like red wines. Dark ones. My all time favorite was a Barbera (?) that cost $9. I like Shiraz and Merlot. Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's ($2.99 Charles Shaw) shiraz is ok, but I like Purple Moon ($3.99) shiraz better because it seems to be richer or thicker or more levels of flavor or something like that.

I read a description once of red wine that was "smooth as oil and strong as beef" and I've been looking for one like that ever since.

Anyone have a favorite cheap (under $10) red wine that I could try? Or can anyone tell me what a Barbera is, and how to find it again?

[snapdragen]

Rex Goliath - it has a picture of a rooster on the label. At Cost Plus World Market it is usually under $10, more expensive at the local grocery store.

47 pound rooster (http://www.rexgoliath.com/rexgoliath/index.jsp)

[Nanci]

OOh, yeah, the Rex Goliath Pinot Noir is great!! I just listened to a Podcast about how they came up with that whole marketing campaign- it was one of the first "animal" labels.

These I have rated "Like a Lot:"

Columbia Crest Syrah or Shiraz- same grape. $9.

Sutter Home Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, but not Merlot. VERY cheap. $5.

Rosemount Grenache-Shiraz. $6.

Lindemans Merlot and Shiraz. $5.

Ironstone Cabernet Franc and Petit Syrah. $9.

These I have rated "Love:"

Beaulieu Vineyard 2002 Pinot Noir $10. Impossible to find.

Bodega Norton Malbec. $7.

Bogle Petite Sirah. $10

[Nanci]

Barbera:

This noble (term reserved to describe the grapes that produce the world's greatest wines) red grape is used to make a wine of the same name that is a hearty, dark red, astingent but full-bodied, fruity wine high in tannin. Produced in the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy and in California, this wine ages well and is sometimes called "the people's wine" for its versatility and high production.

I have this book at home that has a section about if you like ________ then try_____. I'll look up Barera later.

[Brina]

I read a description once of red wine that was "smooth as oil and strong as beef" and I've been looking for one like that ever since.

Anyone have a favorite cheap (under $10) red wine that I could try? Or can anyone tell me what a Barbera is, and how to find it again?

It is a little more expensive at about $15 a bottle, but try Sin Zin, a really yummy zinfindel from Alexander Valley.

[Nanci]

Zinfandel was the first red wine I liked.

[DrBee]

I did not know that zinfandel was considered a red wine. I know it's sort-of red, but I guess I figured it was in it's own category. I learn something new every day :)

[Nanci]

No, fishdr, zinfandel is a red grape, sometimes used to make _white_ zinfandel, which is pink, which gets its color from the grape skins. You can also find white merlot, which is redder than white zin. After you like real wine, though, it's hard to get back into white zin.

[Nanci]

From Wine: An Introduction by Joanna Simon

If you like barolo:

Barolo is an acquired taste. It's not as tannic as it once was, but it's still a difficult wine to understand, and needs time to develop. It's also so quintessentially Italian that there is nothing like it outside its Piedmont homeland, and that includes the handful of New World nebbiolo wines. Authentic alternatives are Barbaresco, Garrinara, Ghemme, and Carema, and a few softer, less expensive Piedmont wines in which nebbiolo forms part of the name. Other Italian reds to try are barberas from Piedmont, the big Tuscan red Brunello di Montalcino, and Aglianico del Vulture from Basilicata. Outside Italy, apart from New World nebbiolos and blends, try northern Rhone wines: Crozes-Hermitage and St.-Joseph, moving up through Cornas to Cote-Rotie and Hermitage.

(In other words, you could hardly have picked a more difficult wine to find others like it.)

I have a bottle of Barolo I'm sitting on, it's a 2000. It's supposed to age a LONG time.

[snapdragen]

I went to dinner at a local restaurant, they were having a "special pour" of one of their wines. This means you can buy it buy the glass instead of getting a whole bottle. I tasted it, YUM. It was a Barolo, and quite good. I had two glasses. Then I got the bill.....$15 a glass :eek: Yup - it was real good.......:D

[maillotpois]

No, fishdr, zinfandel is a red grape, sometimes used to make _white_ zinfandel, which is pink, which gets its color from the grape skins. You can also find white merlot, which is redder than white zin. After you like real wine, though, it's hard to get back into white zin.


At Ravenswood Winery locally here, their motto is "Nullum vinum flaccidum" translated to "No Wimply Wines." They make mostly zins, and you should have seen the look on the guy's face when someone came in and asked for a white zin. He just pointed to the sign with their motto.

Nanci - Thanks for listing your favs. We have 2 basic categories of wine: "Tuesday night wines" which are drunk pretty much every night of the week and can be justified as weekday wines. Usually under $15. Then there are the nicer wines.

Our current Tuesday favorite is Magito, a local place that makes a great little zin and a sauv blanc. Screw top, which I am starting to love. Bonny Doon's "Big House" wines are great - at least the big house white and pink. I love a good French or other DRY rose in the summer. I used to never drink whites, and now I really like them. You can get by for a lot less $ on a drinkable sauv blanc than, say a zin or a pinot noir. Bogle's a good low cost red also as you mentioned.

On the higher end, we are big Rafanelli and Ridge fans. We like the big reds. Abacela (Oregon) makes a great temperanillo and cab franc.

Midrange: ZaZin! - an inky dark berry-y wonderful zin (maybe $15 - 20).

I love a prosecco!

Lillet (blanc) is great in the summer (nice over ice with absolut orange). I odn't like Lillet rouge as much.

Lillet, rose, prosecco - I guess I am ready for summer!! I am really wanting more lighter wines these days.

I have to say I am also a fan of Ricard pastis and water... it's particularly nice when enjoyed at the side of a road in the Massif Central waiting for the riders to come by during the Tour!

[Nanci]

Those were my $10 and under favs! Although I pretty much stick to under $15. Except for dessert wines, where I'm ok up to $25/half. I tried a $17 chardonnay last night, (Frei Brothers Reserve) and was not impressed. I have three or four in the $8-$12 range that I like way better! But I am a brand-new chardonnay-liker, so what do I know. I carry my Wine Enthusiast software to the store with me, though, and only buy 85 or better. I love to find 90's that are cheap.

I love Bonny Doon so much I could marry it. Favs are, or course, the Viognier Doux, the Muscat Vin de Galciere, the Big House Red, the Vin Gris de Cigare rose, and the Framboise. I didn't like Big House White. Can't remember Big House Pink, don't know if I ever tasted it. The Malvesia Bianca was good, the Le Posseur Syrah was good, but I have pretty weird tasting notes on it, and I have an unopened bottle of a French Syrah, Domaine de Blaguers which I haven't tasted yet. I also like the Pacific Rim Reisling. There are _so_ many to try.

I love it when I find a winery that I pretty much like everything, like Chateau Ste. Michelle, or Beringer, or Beaulieu Vineyards, or Covey Run, or even Sutter Home.

[Nanci]

I used to really like Ravenswood, when I was in my Zin phase.

Knotted- see comments from Snap. You picked a good one ;-) to fall in love with...($15/glass!!)

Well, figure 300% markup in a restaurant, so that's like, $25/bottle retail, so not so bad if you really love it.

[maillotpois]

Those were my $10 and under favs! Although I pretty much stick to under $15. Except for dessert wines, where I'm ok up to $25/half. I tried a $17 chardonnay last night, (Frei Brothers Reserve) and was not impressed. I have three or four in the $8-$12 range that I like way better! But I am a brand-new chardonnay-liker, so what do I know. I carry my Wine Enthusiast software to the store with me, though, and only buy 85 or better. I love to find 90's that are cheap.

I love Bonny Doon so much I could marry it. .


Right - I realized they were the 10 and unders when I went back and looked after I posted. I'm over chardonnay I think. That software sounds great.

Get this - I did a super tough Death Ride team training ride last year that went RIGHT BY Bonny Doon winery!! I hadn't even really registered that they were a south Bay Area winery til I saw them, and was totally unfamiliar with the area. We had to climb a nasty hill to get up there - and then we had to go down a super fun descent that the fed onto a naty, potholey road, etc.... Great ride. Too bad I could not stop at the winery!

[Nanci]

Wine and cycling do not mix! Trust me!!

My first Crape Myrtle bloomed yesterday.

My AC passed it's checkup today. I was pretty worried.

[Nanci]

Sarah,

I'm not over Chardonnay, because I didn't drink/like it in its hayday. (Heyday?) Then I tried a bottle of Cambria, and was intrigued by the caramel corn nose, but put off by the oakiness, and have had to find a few not-so-oaky to get to like it. Now my oak tolerance has built up enough that I can drink it. Probably my favorite white right now, though is Pinot Gris.

[Lise]

You guys crack me up with the wine posts.

Take my word for it, when I drank, it was not for the taste. :rolleyes:

Glad some people can enjoy wine the way it's meant to be! :D

(We now return Lise to the regularly scheduled 12 steps)

[bikerz]

On the higher end, we are big Rafanelli and Ridge fans. We like the big reds. Abacela (Oregon) makes a great temperanillo and cab franc.

Oooohhhh Rafanelli - I am hoarding a half a case of zin, and a few merlots and cabs - it is so hard to get their stuff with the 2-bottle limit, cash only, appointment only. It's like going on a quest... I coerce everyone I'm with into buying the limit, whether they want them or not, and we settle up later!

And Ridge - yum - I love their Syrahs too!

For "Tuesday night" wine, I found a great Argentine wine called Andaluna - $9.99 at the local wine store - it's very tasty!

[snapdragen]

Yeah, $25 retail is probably about right. I think a bottle at the restaurant was $50.


I used to really like Ravenswood, when I was in my Zin phase.

Knotted- see comments from Snap. You picked a good one ;-) to fall in love with...($15/glass!!)

Well, figure 300% markup in a restaurant, so that's like, $25/bottle retail, so not so bad if you really love it.

[snapdragen]

I understand completely Lise! A friend of mine is in AA. She had dinner at some mutual friends house. The next day we talked, she was just amazed "they had one glass of wine, then put the bottle away! Is that how normal people drink?"


You guys crack me up with the wine posts.

Take my word for it, when I drank, it was not for the taste. :rolleyes:

Glad some people can enjoy wine the way it's meant to be! :D

(We now return Lise to the regularly scheduled 12 steps)

[maillotpois]

Oooohhhh Rafanelli - I am hoarding a half a case of zin, and a few merlots and cabs - it is so hard to get their stuff with the 2-bottle limit, cash only, appointment only. It's like going on a quest... I coerce everyone I'm with into buying the limit, whether they want them or not, and we settle up later!



We're on their list. We can never justify/afford to get everything we can from their annual mailing - we usually are "allowed to" get about 2 - 3 cases total (varied stuff) - and just can't afford it all. I will try to remember next year to run some of them by you and see if you want any. Have you ever had their Terrace Select?? IN-sanely good.

[bikerz]

We're on their list. We can never justify/afford to get everything we can from their annual mailing - we usually are "allowed to" get about 2 - 3 cases total (varied stuff) - and just can't afford it all. I will try to remember next year to run some of them by you and see if you want any. Have you ever had their Terrace Select?? IN-sanely good.
Oh Sarah - I will be your best friend for life! No I have not tried the Terrace Select. Who knows if I will be able to justify buying any then but I would love to have the chance to agonize over it! I was going to join years ago, but they said it would be 3-5 years before I got on the list (I guess you have to wait for people to die!) and I thought "that's crazy!" And now I kick myself for not doing it because that was about 10 years ago! I could have been impovershing myself all this time!

[SadieKate]

"they had one glass of wine, then put the bottle away! Is that how normal people drink?"Heck, I can't even do that! Someone is coming for dinner tonight and asked what he could bring. He really pushed to bring some locally brewed beer or wine and I finally told him that was the one thing that would make me upset. I can't keep up with what we already have in the house. We're on the pre-release list for Navarro, we buy pinots every time we go to Oregon, we buy on whim at times when we shouldn't, we get gifts . . . and I just can't drink much these days. Maybe I'll have a glass tonight and let the boys finish the bottle. That'll put a dent in the stash.:rolleyes:

[maillotpois]

Oh Sarah - I will be your best friend for life! No I have not tried the Terrace Select. Who knows if I will be able to justify buying any then but I would love to have the chance to agonize over it! I was going to join years ago, but they said it would be 3-5 years before I got on the list (I guess you have to wait for people to die!) and I thought "that's crazy!" And now I kick myself for not doing it because that was about 10 years ago! I could have been impovershing myself all this time!


They do everything they can to prevent their wines from being sold.

We need to go pick ours up Sunday after our Skaggs ride. I think we made the order in Jan or Feb, so that's when it will be next year. I'll see if we have any "extra" this year....

[Lise]

Heck, I can't even do that! Someone is coming for dinner tonight and asked what he could bring. He really pushed to bring some locally brewed beer or wine and I finally told him that was the one thing that would make me upset. I can't keep up with what we already have in the house. We're on the pre-release list for Navarro, we buy pinots every time we go to Oregon, we buy on whim at times when we shouldn't, we get gifts . . . and I just can't drink much these days. Maybe I'll have a glass tonight and let the boys finish the bottle. That'll put a dent in the stash.:rolleyes:
chuckling, chuckling, chuckling! Oh, man. Funny.

I went to visit my brother one time, in DC. I'd been sober nearly 20 years at that point. He'd had a house warming party two nights before I arrived. There were bottles of alcohol all over the house, and a garbage can of beer bottles in melted ice-water on the back porch. His one request? "Help me put this away before mom gets here". I swear. All of his friends had brought him alcohol; he planned to regift most of it. The beer he was going to throw away. THROW AWAY BEER? I asked! Oh, yeah, he said, once it's been cold and then warms up, it doesn't taste right. Hilarious.

Oooookay, I guess we see who got the genes, eh? :rolleyes:

[maillotpois]

That's pretty funny, Lise!

Okay, DH broke a spoke and needs his wheel re-built - not just because of the spoke - there's something gone wrong with his bearings, whatever, also. His shifters are on the fritz. He's on the internet looking at bikes. I guess it is better than porn, but...

[Brina]

I used to never drink whites, and now I really like them. You can get by for a lot less $ on a drinkable sauv blanc than, say a zin or a pinot noir. Bogle's a good low cost red also as you mentioned.

my favorite summer evening, light white wines are called Vino Verde - there are a slew of vitners. It is from Portugal and it is very slightly fizzy. Much less than a champagne or an Asti, just a light fizz. it is great on a hot night.

[Brina]

Wine and cycling do not mix! Trust me!!

DH and I did a cycling tour of tuscany for our first anniversary. We stopped at this winery in chianti country. I remember leaving after a 10:30am barrel tasting, weaving down a cypres tree lined road. Definitely not wise.

[Lise]

I guess it is better than porn, but...
YES! It's better than porn! :rolleyes: How'd his wheel get messed up?

[KnottedYet]

Going grocery shopping tonight, armed with a list of wines to try! (one bottle at a time, cuz I gotta buy some more bike stuff....:D )

thanks, guys!

[maillotpois]

YES! It's better than porn! :rolleyes: How'd his wheel get messed up?


Well, apparently something wore out - the freewheel part is sticking and is going to stop spinning eventually. They'd gotten stuff on order for that at the LBS. But then during the Davis Double, he somehow got his water bottle caught in the spokes. It got spat right out - which is really lucky, because if it had gotten wedged, he would have crashed. Anyway, he broke a spoke yesterday, which we think is related to the water bottle incident. The wheels probably have 20,000 miles on them, so the question is whether it's better to get new ones or fix these. That question I can't answer. What I can say is that getting a new bike just now is not an option! :D

[SadieKate]

His shifters are on the fritz. Campy shifters? They can be rebuilt. You gotta love Campy.


He's on the internet looking at bikes. I guess it is better than porn, but...Huh? I thought Campy was porn.

[KnottedYet]

Found a Barbera. I think it's the same one I had before. The label looks familiar. MonteVina Sierra Foothills Amador County Barbera 2003. Yum. And a piece of super-dark chocolate.

I'm working on my Gramicci soon-to-be capris, hand sewn and with custom-designed pink skull and crossbones embroidered by hand by highly skilled artisans along the hem for a unique and one of a kind garment. By appointment only. Cannot be found on Rodeo Drive. No dealer inquiries, please.

I just have a word of warning for all you hand sewers out there. A word to the wiser.

Don't drink and sew.

[Trek420]

Then you'll need these matching buddy flap fenders

[KnottedYet]

Oh yeah...

They'd be kinda spiffy in pink, too, eh?

[maillotpois]

Campy shifters? They can be rebuilt. You gotta love Campy.




Of course they can be rebuilt. But somehow it's more satisfying to look at new bikes.

[Trek420]

ooh, excuses for new bike:

best one I've heard was from jobob yesterday "I need a new bike to match my jersey."

I was wearing my "I survived the epic brutal Cindy ride" jersey, she had her Bikejoural jersey. Both jerseys are blue/orange colors. She was riding dusty.

This calls for at least a light blue bike to match.:)

This is throwing light on my thought process about powder coating my commuter. I was thinking about pink because pink is cool and could make it more theft proof by 12 year old boys around here. But then my road bike is pink'ish'like sorta.

So maybe I need to stick with cool colors for jersey matching purposes?

[KnottedYet]

There is nothing sexy about using a Q-tip up yer nose to straighten out yer nose ring.

There is nothing sexy about clipping yer toenails.

But, oh, cleaning your bike or tightening loose stuff or adjusting saddles, brakes, fenders.... THAT'S sexy!

Why is people-maintainence so much less cool than bike-maintainence?

[DrBee]

Odd, but oh so true.;)

[Nanci]

I hate coloring my hair. But when two people, including BF!! comment on it in two days, it's time. The problem is, with semi-permanent color, it leaks for a couple sweaty rides afterwards, and I haven't had a weekend without a potential sweaty ride in a LONG time. I'm hoping to walk in somewhere today, and get a lot of it cut off, too!!

[KnottedYet]

Does anyone use those spray-and-leave-it shower and tub cleaners? The ones you spray on after your shower every day?

I hate to clean the tub and walls. It's just the SKnot and I, but dang it all gets yucky in a hurry.

If those sprays actually work, I'll get some.

[Trek420]

if those sprays actually work I'll use it on the entire house :)

Speaking of which how much Gu does it take to ruin your camera?

Not much.

After the Diablo ride I put the camera in the bag I keep to carry misc. ride gear in the car along with the Gu bottle I thought was empty. But there was just enough in there to tip and splorsh on the camera and seriously mung up the works.

So I may go digital.

[DrBee]

Nanci - how short are you going to go??? I know what you mean about coloring your hair. I have more and more and more gray everytime I look! I used to get it colored, but I don't think I'm going to give in for a while. We'll see.

KnottedYet - I've tried the Arm and Hammer version on a cultured marble shower. I'm not so impressed. The woman who had the house before swore by that type of cleaner, but I'm not sure which kind. Be sure not to spray it near a bar of soap. My husband discovered the spray has amazing dissolving capabilities ;)

Trek- go digital! You'll love it :)


I'm STILL waiting for my tubes to arrive. Mayyyyyybe today??? The tire levers have been here. How frustrating! At least I did a ton of yardwork this weekend to expend some energy!

Other drift. We just had a Walgreens open in town. They have Clifbars, Lunabars, and.... sport beans (just green). I'm so psyched!

[Nanci]

A few things:

I missed the introduction/invention of SKnot. And I can't figure it out.

I took off about five inches, so I can still put it in pigtails, but it doesn't touch my shoulders.

I agree- go digital. I can't imagine having to get film developed. EEWWW!! Plus, some digital cameras are so tiny there is no excuse not to take them everywhere. Mine fits in my Bento box, with room to spare, or even in my jeans pocket.

You should see what happens to my tub after Milly spends a few hours flying from tub to shower and back again. Pigeons poop a lot! But both areas are washable...

[maillotpois]

A few things:

I missed the introduction/invention of SKnot. And I can't figure it out.



It's ShortKnot, as I understand it (the kid). Which is cool!

[DrBee]

I was guessing Significant Knot, but it didn't quite work. I think you're right.

[SadieKate]

SmallKnot?

[maillotpois]

Right - small knot, not short knot. I was thinking of mine as being shorter, but I think Knot's is a teenager and may not be so short...

[KnottedYet]

Yup, SmallKnot (aka SKnot.... get it? oh, I crack myself up!) Actually, he's not a snot, he's a total sweetheart and a genius and creative and all that other good stuff.

He just became a teenager. Keeps doing dorky things, and then telling me "Mom, I'm a teenager, i'm supposed to do this."

He's still shorter than me, but only by about 4 inches. His feet are the same size already. And when he's hungry he EATS AND EATS AND EATS.

Digital camera: anybody know of a good one for less than $100? It's time for me to get one, too. Join the rest of y'all in the 21st century.:D

[Nanci]

I know this isn't the right thread, but, Dear God, I am so happy that my kid is 23, married, happily, with grandchild, and no longer a teenager!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS Chardonnay and Miniwheats makes a good dessert!

[Trek420]

If we can't thead drift in the thread drift thread where can we drift?

Does painting the stairwell count as an upper body workout? :confused:

[KnottedYet]

Well, dear, I definitely think painting anything counts as an upper body workout. You deserve a glass of Barbera and a big hunk of dark chocolate!

Nanci - does your 23 year old have a grandchild already!?!? :eek:

[DrBee]

I know this isn't the right thread, but, Dear God, I am so happy that my kid is 23, married, happily, with grandchild, and no longer a teenager!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS Chardonnay and Miniwheats makes a good dessert!

Mr. Fish - in his jittery delerium - says he's going to try the Chardonnay and Miniwheats.

[Trek420]

Thank you Knotted for the go-ahead to indulge. Ya know I don't really drink so...may have to go get ice cream

Poor Jittery Mr. Fish :o Sending virtual tea or Chardonnay

Dear G** I'm glad I forgot to have children....that I know of.

[bikerz]

I'm not really a sweets person, but on Monday I went to this chocolate place in Oakland (Bittersweet, in Rockridge, for anyone who knows the area) and I got this dark chocolate that has some chipotle chile in it - wow - was it good! But it's going to take me ages to get through! Anybody want some?

[Trek420]

now you tell me ;)

[DrBee]

Mr. Fish was up until about 2:30 last night (this morning). He looked a bit rough at 6am when I left. He said he could hear his pulse when he layed down in bed last night, but that he was feeling a bit better this morning.

I'm turning in my job application today - wish me luck! I should hopefully hear something by the end of June/early July. I'm sooooo bad at waiting!

[DrBee]

I'm not really a sweets person, but on Monday I went to this chocolate place in Oakland (Bittersweet, in Rockridge, for anyone who knows the area) and I got this dark chocolate that has some chipotle chile in it - wow - was it good! But it's going to take me ages to get through! Anybody want some?

You're kidding, right??? You're actually asking if we want chocolate?????????? Uhhhhh, let me think...

[bikerz]

Ha! Except we have a slight distribution problem! I can try scanning it...

It's funny - this place has a whole wall of different chocolate bars, and instructions on how to fully appreciate the chocolate: "break it - listen for the clear 'snap'; rub it with your thumb to release the flavor, notice the hint of almonds, curry and sea salt", etc.