Endless Winter: a major whine

Just as the days started to get longer, the other day tech at the clinic quit. So I've been doing 60 hour weeks since before daylight savings started. I have managed to start home in daylight exactly once this year, and I had to stop to turn on my lights before I got home. I am getting so discouraged about my milage. I know in my head that I will never be able to build enough base to do the extended Pan-Mass I wanted to ride, I will be stretched just to do the 192 miles. I'm getting home at 9:00 to 10:30 pm, going to bed, getting up at 5:30 am and going to work. I can feel my spin deteriorating. Wednesday, the doctor had a dog slip it's collar while he was walking it and we spent the next 3 hours trying to catch it. I got the swamp detail. 3 hours of wading through the skunk cabbage and muck up to my knees and I still feel knackered. Then we have a new computing system at work, and all sorts of software issues to try to sort out, just when we have no time to do it during the support service hours. Meanwhile, we are not getting any resumes to even interview, so there isn't even much hope of relief in the near future. While I enjoy riding in the dark, there is no way it is my preferred time to ride. By the time the week-end gets here, and I clean up the house to the merely messy point, I'm too tired to ride. Right now my big goal is to get in a ride in a jersey and shorts instead of the long pants, tee, and jacket I'm still wearing to ride to work. OK, end of whine. I'm very thankful I can at least still ride to work, that I have a job I like, and eventually things will most likely get better.

Hang in there, newf. I'm glad to hear you're riding to work. It's probably what's saving your sanity right now. Things will ease up, and you have some glorious rides just around the corner. L.

I hear you. I live in a place where every mile I drive west from my home, it rains another inch per year. No kidding. About 1-1/2 hours from the rain forest. It can take an enormous amount of self-pep-talk to keep from throwing in the towel when it's dark, rainy and cold on the 4th of July...again.

My heart goes out to you, and also my admiration. That you are continuing to ride to work given your hours shows that you are a mentally strong woman! Take care!

I grew up in the rain, and love it. But not so much to ride in it. And I really don't like riding in the dark.

Remember the tandem and riders covered with Christmas lights in Men In Black II? Looked like something from Burning Man. That's my ideal nighttime commuter.

Newf, hang in there. Someone will come along to take your hours back down to normal. Are you at least getting paid overtime? That'd give you some shopping money for bike stuff, eh?

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Originally Posted by Starfish

I hear you. I live in a place where every mile I drive west from my home, it rains another inch per year. No kidding. About 1-1/2 hours from the rain forest. It can take an enormous amount of self-pep-talk to keep from throwing in the towel when it's dark, rainy and cold on the 4th of July...again.

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Hoo yeah...same here across the strait on Vanc. Island. And we live in the rain shadow of the Olympics....the folks on the windward side must really suffer.

I always wanted to ride in the Olympic peninsula, but it's too late now with all this passport bs coming into effect soon. :(

~Sherry.

I admire you for even being able to ride to work while working an 60 hour week. That is amazing! But then again, wasn't it you who uses studded snow tires in the winter? ;)

Take good care of yourself.

Oh, man, i forgot about the darn passport stuff coming up! Mine's expired. Like, JUST expired. I don't think the border guys would really care much at this point, but they will later.

Shoot, gotta add that to my to-do list. :eek:

PN: you can still come over to ride even after the bs takes effect!

OT, I know, but passport???

What, is this some sort of homeland security thing? We're protecting our borders against middle-aged Canadian women who want to ride their bikes over here? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Lise

What, is this some sort of homeland security thing? We're protecting our borders against middle-aged Canadian women who want to ride their bikes over here? :rolleyes:

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Hey, maybe they're starting to realize you can't underestimate the determination of us middle-aged cycling women! :-)

Sherry, if you decide to go for it and do what you need to for border crossings (will they still be allowing us to use birth certificate and driver's license? That's what I've used lately), it would be fun to show you some of my favorite rides over here. The Olympic Cycling Classic is on May 20 (don't have the website, something about olybikeride or olyride). Also, I have a lot of family in Nanaimo, and I've often thought of exploring some of the island's rides.

Liz

No more sneaking around with birth cert/driver's lic! Soon (July? I don't remember) passports will be required. Because we all know that terrorists don't get passports....:confused:

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Originally Posted by Lise

What, is this some sort of homeland security thing? We're protecting our borders against middle-aged Canadian women who want to ride their bikes over here? :rolleyes:

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And middle-aged American women who come to Canada and want to go home again.... Sheesh.

ara, te natura, me aroha, te ane!

(I always figured the language of chorus of the Buffett song in your sig line was something like Maori, cuz the "r" instead of the "l" and the "te". But one of my housemates swore up and down it was spanish....)

PS: that is one of my all-time favorite of his songs, along with "Fruitcakes". Aw, heck, I like 'em all.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

No more sneaking around with birth cert/driver's lic! Soon (July? I don't remember) passports will be required. Because we all know that terrorists don't get passports....:confused:

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We're being told passports -or some other newly created "security" document- will be required (by Canadians wanting to go to the US, and Americans who want to go anywhere and get back into the US) by the end of 2006. This despite, of course, approximately 1500 miles of border between BC/Washington/Idaho/Alberta/Montana/Saskatchewan/N.Dakota/Manitoba etc where one can just stroll across the line in the lone prairie between official border crossings with no one in sight for miles...... Sheesh.

~S.

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

ara, te natura, me aroha, te ane!

(I always figured the language of chorus of the Buffett song in your sig line was something like Maori, cuz the "r" instead of the "l" and the "te". But one of my housemates swore up and down it was spanish....)

PS: that is one of my all-time favorite of his songs, along with "Fruitcakes". Aw, heck, I like 'em all.

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"Ia ora te natura, E mea arofa teie ao nei" Actually, it's Tahitian, which is close to Maori. OPH is my all-time Buffett fave, but you're right...I like 'em all too. :D
Fruitcakes! We need more fruitcakes in the world..and less bakers!! :D
~S.

Coool! I win (18 years later)! I KNEW it wasn't spanish!

Thanks for the real words!

Starfish....I'd still love to come there....I haven't been to PA since my competitive swimming days in the 1970's. Don't know if I'll make it this year, however. If you make it to the island, let me know; I'll be glad to show you around the riding places here.

~Sherry.

Popoki Nui, thanks! I used to swim, too, and remember the teams coming down here.

I'm surprised they didn't change the laws about needing a passport to travel batween the US and Canada ages ago. I mean, you get your retinas scanned and your fingerprints taken when you enter the transit lounge at LAX. The transit lounge, where you don't get further than about 200m from your plane and you're going to get chased down by the airport police and what have you anyway if you even think of leaving the room before it's time to re-board.

Guess my perspective is a little different though - you need a passport to go anywhere from NZ, I was on my parents' passports since I was born (you can't do this anymore, though; even teeny little babies need one of their own now) and I've had my own since I was seven.