Thread Drift

[spokewench]

super dog! watch out, putting that shirt on her is going to make her super strong!

[Owlie]

Please, don't walk into a bike shop, pick out a pair of super-expensive shoes, then demand that the employees pick out the "best possible pedal" (for less than $100!) because you're spending sooo much money on these shoes, then demand that said employees affirm that the shoes that you are buying are in fact awesome.

[Crankin]

I have a sunburn on my left arm. Totally avoidable and I am pissed at myself. Had a perfectly sunburn free ride and then went to eat, after rinsing off and changing. I rinsed the sunblock off, I guess. As we sat down at the outdoor table, I said, "I'm going to get a sunburn," and I did.
It doesn't hurt, but looks like I'm a dumb azz. Been putting Arnica on it, hoping to tame the redness.

[indysteel]

Great! Two bomb scares in less than 24 hours--one where I work and one where I park. The first one turned out to be a backpack filled with fireworks and pot left on front steps of the federal courthouse. I'm unsure of the details of the second one other than that it was a suspicious device that a guard detected in a bag going through security at the federal building.

[crazycanuckoz]

Hello again , just popping in to say howdy.

[Fredwina]

Long time no see there!

[NbyNW]

Hi Crazycanuck!

[Crankin]

I am recovering from being sick, for almost 10 days. It's just getting on my nerves. While it didn't morph into the dreaded bronchial complications, I swear, I felt worse than the last time I was sick, when it did. Of course, this occured right before a planning weekend trip. The weather looked awful, so we didn't bring our bikes. I was secretly jumping for joy, as I never could have done a 40 mile ride with a 4 mile climb. It did rain Friday, but yesterday was gorgeous. We ended up going to Mt. Greylock, where we did a modified type of hike of about 5 miles. No hike to the summit; we did 2 miles on a trail and about 2.7 on a dirt road with a steady 2-3% grade that led to an overlook that was worth it. Then we drove to the summit. I definitely feel better today, but I am going to make myself do no exercise until at least Tuesday. I don't even have 800 miles ridden this year, it's depressing. It's been at least 8-9 years since I did't have at least 1,000 miles by July 1.

[emily_in_nc]

That really stinks, Crankin.

I hope you feel much better very soon!

[Owlie]

I am recovering from being sick, for almost 10 days. It's just getting on my nerves. While it didn't morph into the dreaded bronchial complications, I swear, I felt worse than the last time I was sick, when it did. Of course, this occured right before a planning weekend trip. The weather looked awful, so we didn't bring our bikes. I was secretly jumping for joy, as I never could have done a 40 mile ride with a 4 mile climb. It did rain Friday, but yesterday was gorgeous. We ended up going to Mt. Greylock, where we did a modified type of hike of about 5 miles. No hike to the summit; we did 2 miles on a trail and about 2.7 on a dirt road with a steady 2-3% grade that led to an overlook that was worth it. Then we drove to the summit. I definitely feel better today, but I am going to make myself do no exercise until at least Tuesday. I don't even have 800 miles ridden this year, it's depressing. It's been at least 8-9 years since I did't have at least 1,000 miles by July 1.

Blech. Feel better! This year's been terrible for riding on this end too.

[OakLeaf]

Ugh Crankin. Glad you had a nice hike, anyway. Hope you feel better soon. Have you tried black elderberry yet? As often as you get sick, if it were me I'd take a little elderberry preventively every day.

[Crankin]

Ha, Oak, I hardly get sick at all, compared to the past! My last major illness was in February. The rest is allergies. I've tried elderberry and I saw no benefit.
Murienn, I do have asthma, but it's basically a non-issue now, unless I get sick. When I lived in AZ, I was on a nebulizer every 4 hours. Since moving here, I have been pretty much symptom free, unless, I get a sinus infection or other normal cold and then sometimes, it will migrate. I have tried allergy shots at 3 different times in my life. Every time, they just give me an asthma attack... since it's not too much of an issue now, I deal with it with Claritin and Flonase, which do help. I really don't have tree/pollen allergies, just mold and a few foods. Now that I live in a house that is almost all hardwood, it's another major improvement.
I think some of the part that annoys me is it seems to take me longer to get better now. I know my immune system sucks, so I baby myself and try not to go back to activity too soon. Not easy for me. I went to boot camp this morning; it was a sub, which was a good thing. I was able to do the whole class, but I definitely had trouble with some of the weight repetitions near the end of each set. There wasn't really much cardio, except to warm up, which also was good.
I'll do a little ride tomorrow morning, if it's not raining. Yesterday, I got caught in torrential rain and tornado warnings while leaving a client's house, resulting in a mad drive back to my office in the worst conditions I have ever seen. It was only 2 miles, but I was scared to death. More predicted today, but at least I'll be closer to home.

[Crankin]

I will give you my "how Arizona was ruined shpiel." Let's see, a whole bunch of people, mostly from the midwest, some from the east, moved there and wanted to re-create their landscaping back home. Lots of lawns and non-indigenous plants. Fake lakes. Houses built so close together, the population skyrocketed, and those people brought lots of cars. No real public transportation until recently. Put them in a valley, with air inversions and lots of dust and mold spores. I bet you get the picture!
Then, there's the whole gene pool of asthmatics who moved there in the 40s and 50s who married each other and had kids with asthma! Huge population of asthmatics.
I think the constant wind and changing temperatures are good for me. The air here is clear, with the exception of very hot and humid days a few times in the summer.
I've only been to Boulder once. Other than not being able to breathe because of the altitude, I was fine...

[skhill]

For an odd Arizona and asthma and allergies story: when my dad was about 6 or so, he had terrible allergies and asthma, and his doctor suggested they move out to Arizona. The whole family trucked out from Ohio to Tuscon; and this was while WWII gas rationing was still on so it was a big deal. They stayed for a couple years and then went back home. As an adult living in KY, Dad never had problems with allergies or asthma, except for one week. One spring break when me and my brother were teens we went out to Arizona, and Dad was sneezing and wheezing and miserable the whole time, worst when we were in the Tuscon area. Something was blooming out there in the desert that he hadn't experienced in decades and it didn't agree with him.

The native plants can cause trouble too, you never know what you might end up sensitive to.

[OakLeaf]

The way my allergist explained it, the immune dysfunction is part of your system, the particular sensitivities are developed. So if you're prone to allergies, you may eventually become allergic to whatever you're exposed to. Moving might buy you a few years until you become sensitive to the local allergens - it's not a permanent solution. I had about six good winters in Florida before I was every bit as miserable in cedar season as I used to be in ragweed season before I started getting shots. This year I became sensitive to oak pollen for the first time, too. Oh joy.