With the back rest up...
Hot Dog...
Stained and on the porch...
I'm sitting on it and drinking a beer as soon as it's dry...
16 August 2008
Finished Product
Getting the spacing right...
With the back rest up...
Hot Dog...
Stained and on the porch...
I'm sitting on it and drinking a beer as soon as it's dry...
With the back rest up...Hot Dog...Stained and on the porch...I'm sitting on it and drinking a beer as soon as it's dry...
15 August 2008
The latest project
I will put more up tomorrow (maybe) when it's finished. Still need to put on the back rest and stain it. I might stretch it into another 2 days so I have something to work on.
06 November 2007
My Yard
I knew I would love this house when I saw it. An old country house set back behind a large front yard, looking out on the street from under its brow of low hanging hundred year old Oak trees. Like so many farm houses from my childhood, it’s got an old aluminum cattle gate at the side of the house granting access through the long driveway into the back yard that hangs crooked on its hinges and squeaks tiredly when nudged from the same old position it’s been in for so many years.
My neighbors are a quirky combination of young and hip, old and hippie, and they’re always willing to sit on one of our front porches and catch up for a bit over a beer. Just last week I was carving a pumpkin on my front porch stoop. Such an inviting neighborhood delights people to casually walk by, and these new people feel it too; they always smile and wave. It was the time of day when the afternoon sun perfectly finds its way through the leaves and warms the right side of my face just enough. Of course there is a delightful array of birds that loves to dance in the wisteria vines and other green havens provided by Sean and Shana’s yard to the left. There they are just out of reach of the young tabby cat that has made each of our porches her home. The way the sun is sliding in over the hedge row along the driveway, and just low enough to slip in below the trees, it reveals a thousand silvery rivers of fragile spider webbing that have so delicately been created on the fallen leaves and blades of grass. Just about this time, Shana starts playing her harp in her front living room. The sounds float softly over my ears providing the perfect background music for the thoughts revealing themselves as smiles on my face.
My neighbors are a quirky combination of young and hip, old and hippie, and they’re always willing to sit on one of our front porches and catch up for a bit over a beer. Just last week I was carving a pumpkin on my front porch stoop. Such an inviting neighborhood delights people to casually walk by, and these new people feel it too; they always smile and wave. It was the time of day when the afternoon sun perfectly finds its way through the leaves and warms the right side of my face just enough. Of course there is a delightful array of birds that loves to dance in the wisteria vines and other green havens provided by Sean and Shana’s yard to the left. There they are just out of reach of the young tabby cat that has made each of our porches her home. The way the sun is sliding in over the hedge row along the driveway, and just low enough to slip in below the trees, it reveals a thousand silvery rivers of fragile spider webbing that have so delicately been created on the fallen leaves and blades of grass. Just about this time, Shana starts playing her harp in her front living room. The sounds float softly over my ears providing the perfect background music for the thoughts revealing themselves as smiles on my face.
16 October 2007
09 October 2007
Finally
Since I was a kid I begged my parents to get me a dirt bike, but they insisted that I would kill myself. After a few close calls while riding my cousins' bikes and my friend's 4wheeler, I realized they were probably right. Now that I'm a little bit older and slightly less stupid (relative to my childhood I've come around a bit, relative to sane people, I'm still crazy), I decided it's time for me to have a bike. I'm starting small so that I run out of throttle before I can get too wild, but I can barely contain myself from waking up early to go for a ride, when normally I'm not functional before 10am.
Andy and I have done some work on the bike, and I feel like it represents my character quite well. My bike and I together have a personality that demands attention, so it's fun to see people stop and stare out of the corner of my eye as I ride past them. Here she is before
And after
Andy and I have done some work on the bike, and I feel like it represents my character quite well. My bike and I together have a personality that demands attention, so it's fun to see people stop and stare out of the corner of my eye as I ride past them. Here she is before
And after
07 October 2007
Nelchina, Alaska, Day 68, Aug 8th
Today brought to reality a whole new reason I should be sacred to have ridden alone those 180 miles. After taking a long break in Glenallen for lunch we were riding up the road until we came up on most of the team pulled over on the side of the road. One of our riders was sitting on the ground in shock after some mother fucker had stopped her and tried to pull her off into the woods, all the while hitting her in the face. We were all thoroughly shaken up and stuck around until we were told by the police that the troopers had caught the bastard. I thought I was going to have to hold Amy from going back to torture the piece of shit.
We're all procrastinating in the morning now; I think we're all trying to prolong being together, despite being sick of a few people. We got chased by a dog on the road just as we left this morning. He was dragging a big ass chain from his collar, and I think he just wanted to play, but none of us wanted to get pulled off our bikes onto the pavement so we scooted on by him.
Amy and I kept up the pace from there with a little help from a tailwind. I really enjoy riding with her. I realize what I missed out on for most of the summer by not riding people, but it wasn't like I could ride with Amy all summer since she was on the Rockies route. I am having so much fun with her, Marlowe and Walker. It takes me back to Day 2 when we parted ways with them, and I immediately felt a gap and that I had chosen the wrong route. I know now that's not the case, but nevertheless it would have been great to spend teh summer with them. I am relieved by the fact that I will still hang out with Amy in Austin, and that Walker and Marlowe are going back to NY so I won't see them anyway.
I rode in some freezing rain toward the end of the day and am glad I didn't have to do so when I was more sick since it hurts so bad to cough today and I can't seem to stop coughing.
At the little RV park store where we're staying there's a man sitting in the corner of the porch when I roll up, but I can't tell if he's a real man or one carved out of wood until he saws hello to me. Apparently he lives back in the woods somewhere.
We have a big dinner then some ice cream sandwiches. While we're stalking seconds of pasta in the mosquito tent, Miguel and "Boris" (Vitek) are drinking 40s of "Steel Reserve" beer. Quickly after eating we build a fire in a barrel and hobo up to keep warm. So fitting with the 40s. The owner let his dogs out so Winchester--an extremely friendly Golden--and Priscilla--a confused Saint Bernard--provided the night's entertainment. It was pretty funny watching a drunken Boris yell at Priscilla and try to convince her to sit down at his feet.
The next morning is the last time we'll fix breakfast. Since Jon and I are driving, we make as many pancakes as possible, but decide in the end that the BIGGEST pancakes possible is a better approach.
We're all procrastinating in the morning now; I think we're all trying to prolong being together, despite being sick of a few people. We got chased by a dog on the road just as we left this morning. He was dragging a big ass chain from his collar, and I think he just wanted to play, but none of us wanted to get pulled off our bikes onto the pavement so we scooted on by him.
Amy and I kept up the pace from there with a little help from a tailwind. I really enjoy riding with her. I realize what I missed out on for most of the summer by not riding people, but it wasn't like I could ride with Amy all summer since she was on the Rockies route. I am having so much fun with her, Marlowe and Walker. It takes me back to Day 2 when we parted ways with them, and I immediately felt a gap and that I had chosen the wrong route. I know now that's not the case, but nevertheless it would have been great to spend teh summer with them. I am relieved by the fact that I will still hang out with Amy in Austin, and that Walker and Marlowe are going back to NY so I won't see them anyway.
I rode in some freezing rain toward the end of the day and am glad I didn't have to do so when I was more sick since it hurts so bad to cough today and I can't seem to stop coughing.
At the little RV park store where we're staying there's a man sitting in the corner of the porch when I roll up, but I can't tell if he's a real man or one carved out of wood until he saws hello to me. Apparently he lives back in the woods somewhere.
We have a big dinner then some ice cream sandwiches. While we're stalking seconds of pasta in the mosquito tent, Miguel and "Boris" (Vitek) are drinking 40s of "Steel Reserve" beer. Quickly after eating we build a fire in a barrel and hobo up to keep warm. So fitting with the 40s. The owner let his dogs out so Winchester--an extremely friendly Golden--and Priscilla--a confused Saint Bernard--provided the night's entertainment. It was pretty funny watching a drunken Boris yell at Priscilla and try to convince her to sit down at his feet.
The next morning is the last time we'll fix breakfast. Since Jon and I are driving, we make as many pancakes as possible, but decide in the end that the BIGGEST pancakes possible is a better approach.
Chistochina, Alaska Day 67, Aug 7th
We rode a few miles down to Sourdough in the rain for the pancake breakfast they've planned for us. We're already wet and freezing--it's 55 degrees and raining--and no one wants to ride. Again I feel like riding in this weather will be detrimental to my health, and I'd rather ride 180 miles tomorrow to catch up with the team than make myself more sick riding in this all day. As the rest of the team is reluctantly heading off, I am unpacking my bag and refilling it with the necessary essentials to get me those 180 miles unsupported, hoping desperately that the weather will be better tomorrow. Oleg decided at the same time that he was going to try to ride for 24 hours straight the remaining 328 miles to Anchorage and arrive there 2 days early. If it wasn't for this damn weather, I would love to present myself with that challenge, but I'll have to do this 180 challenge instead. I've been sitting in the cafe here at the Sourdough Camp since mid morning and now it's 4:30. The RVers have been coming and going, and most of them are speaking foreign languages.
I have no concept of time anymore, or whether I'm riding up a hill or down since we always have a headwind. Being out in the Yukon was strange. I was so far away from anywhere I've ever been before, would ride all day and see the same hills and far-off mountains, but rarely any people. It seems like I'm moving myself as hard as I can all day long and getting nowhere. I hadn't talked to anyone from home in weeks, and when I was riding by myself sometimes I would be nearly overcome with feelings of abandonment and desolation. It got so bad at times that I would often think of Kelly. Further contributing to my disorientation was the fact that I was wearing my sunglasses at 10 o'clock at night and had to force myself to go to sleep when it was light at night. We left the bar in Destruction Bay at 11:30 and the sun was just setting.
So after sitting in the cafe for about 7 hours or so, the lady who owns it gave me some tea and reindeer chili in a sourdough bread bowl which was very tasty. Not too long after Jody's grandmom (her grandparents had planned their trip so they would be in Tok at the same time as us) came to get me after hearing of how I stayed behind. They took me to their trailer to sleep, fed me roast stew and scotch before I headed to bed. Not too long after being asleep, I heard a knock then Jordan, Daniel, and Oleg's voices. They hadn't taken me and Oleg seriously until they got to Chistochina and realized we weren't there. So J & D drove up 70 or so miles to get Oleg (he rode 170 miles before they caught him), then drove back 170 miles to pick me up. Then we drove the 90 scheduled miles for that day to the community center in Chistochina and arrived at 12:30 in the morning. Everyone was asleep when we got there, and I confused the cute boy on the floor (there were a couple of other people staying there too) for someone on our team who had decided to clean themselves up. Oleg and I raided the place and found some ice cream to eat before sacking out. On the way to Chistochina we saw a white fox on the road which made me realize I would have had to deal with possible wildlife encounters--bears and moose and whatnot--riding by myself in the middle of nowhere as I left at 3:30 in the morning to ride those 180 miles.
During breakfast the next morning we had another Darlene scare. As she was lighting the stove the gas had built up pressure, released and blown up into her face. After checking her over for melting flesh we saw only some fried hair, but no major deformations.
I have no concept of time anymore, or whether I'm riding up a hill or down since we always have a headwind. Being out in the Yukon was strange. I was so far away from anywhere I've ever been before, would ride all day and see the same hills and far-off mountains, but rarely any people. It seems like I'm moving myself as hard as I can all day long and getting nowhere. I hadn't talked to anyone from home in weeks, and when I was riding by myself sometimes I would be nearly overcome with feelings of abandonment and desolation. It got so bad at times that I would often think of Kelly. Further contributing to my disorientation was the fact that I was wearing my sunglasses at 10 o'clock at night and had to force myself to go to sleep when it was light at night. We left the bar in Destruction Bay at 11:30 and the sun was just setting.
So after sitting in the cafe for about 7 hours or so, the lady who owns it gave me some tea and reindeer chili in a sourdough bread bowl which was very tasty. Not too long after Jody's grandmom (her grandparents had planned their trip so they would be in Tok at the same time as us) came to get me after hearing of how I stayed behind. They took me to their trailer to sleep, fed me roast stew and scotch before I headed to bed. Not too long after being asleep, I heard a knock then Jordan, Daniel, and Oleg's voices. They hadn't taken me and Oleg seriously until they got to Chistochina and realized we weren't there. So J & D drove up 70 or so miles to get Oleg (he rode 170 miles before they caught him), then drove back 170 miles to pick me up. Then we drove the 90 scheduled miles for that day to the community center in Chistochina and arrived at 12:30 in the morning. Everyone was asleep when we got there, and I confused the cute boy on the floor (there were a couple of other people staying there too) for someone on our team who had decided to clean themselves up. Oleg and I raided the place and found some ice cream to eat before sacking out. On the way to Chistochina we saw a white fox on the road which made me realize I would have had to deal with possible wildlife encounters--bears and moose and whatnot--riding by myself in the middle of nowhere as I left at 3:30 in the morning to ride those 180 miles.
During breakfast the next morning we had another Darlene scare. As she was lighting the stove the gas had built up pressure, released and blown up into her face. After checking her over for melting flesh we saw only some fried hair, but no major deformations.
Tok, Alaska Day 66. Aug. 6th
I wake up feeling ill at 5 and then 7 am after tossing all night. It's raining and no one wants to get on the bike today. It's a short 50 mile day, but I'm torn over whether to ride & get more sick or sag for the day. At the last minute I decide to sag, and it's a good thing because as soon as I got in the car I passed out, exhausted. When I wake up there's a massive headwind which would have undoubtedly made me cry, and with my current absence of energy, I would never have made it into Tok. Rambo, Mike & I went ahead into Tok & arranged for us to stay at a church instead of the Sourdough Camp where we were supposed to stay since storms were on their way. Not long after getting to the church I ate dinner and laid down. I fell asleep at 7:44pm and woke up the next morning still feeling ill, with a scheduled 90 miles, and it's raining.
*There are no pictures from this day. Because of the rain, I didn't carry my camera.
*There are no pictures from this day. Because of the rain, I didn't carry my camera.
23 September 2007
06 September 2007
Rachel, NV
Day 21, Caliente NV to Rachel NV, June 22
Today is my drive day with Jon and we're bummed. Since it's summer solstice, tradition is that we all ride naked for at least a mile of today's ride. As we're fixing breakfast for the team, however, I spot 2 aprons in the church kitchen so we had our own version of naked day. Katrina asked me if I could "top off" her coffee. Ahhh... I had a blast driving through the desert today. What I do enjoy about driving is that I get some time to myself, so I jammed out to some tunes which really made it feel like I was on a road trip. All day at my rest stop I got to hear "Coming into Rachel" jokes, and I must say, some people were impressively creative with their one-liners. I've forgotten a lot of them, but "I think I'll take the back entrance into Rachel" 
was a favorite of the guys. It went on and on. The town of Rachel is in the middle of Area 51, and they take pride in their "alien encounters". It's 70 miles from Caliente and 110 miles for Tonopah, and we're told, is home to 60 people. The motel we stayed at consisted of the 21 of us packing ourselves into a single wide mobile-home trailer, one of about 5 that made up said motel. It was called "The Little A'le'Inn". Our hosts were awesome and fixed us dinner in their store/lobby/restaurant. As I'm eating I'm wondering why the cute waitress, near our age, lives in this town.
After dinner, 8 of us packed into the van and hauled ass for 2
hours to Las Vegas to check out the city. I never thought I'd like to go to Vegas, and I've turned down several invitations to go, but one of the reasons I'm taking this trip is to see new places. The way we did it however--laid back and cheap--I really enjoyed it. Maybe because I've been in the middle of nowhere lately and it's nice to see civilization again, but regardless, I had a great time. We finally got the van parked, although we thought at times it'd be impossible to find a parking garage it would fit in with the bike racks on top. Ryan Hill can pull off some amazing feats.
We grabbed a couple of beers and walked down to check out show at the Bellagio, won $20 on one hant the waterd of Black Jack, got 'ritas at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, headed to the Venetian and then to the newest hotel in Vegas, the Wynn.
As we were walking back to the van, I said to the rest of the crew that I it would be so awesome to run into someone I know in this huge city that I've never been to. Not 2 minutes later, as we're going up an elevator I lock eyes with a girl coming down the one next to us, and we both have that "I know you from somewhere" feeling. We continue to stare at each other as we pass on the elevators and even when I get to the top, and her the bottom, we're still looking at each other. Then all of a sudden she yells up to me, "I was your bartender in Albuquerque!" Totally unbelievable that the chick who served us drinks in a bar almost 2 weeks earlier would remember me in Vegas.
Today is my drive day with Jon and we're bummed. Since it's summer solstice, tradition is that we all ride naked for at least a mile of today's ride. As we're fixing breakfast for the team, however, I spot 2 aprons in the church kitchen so we had our own version of naked day. Katrina asked me if I could "top off" her coffee. Ahhh... I had a blast driving through the desert today. What I do enjoy about driving is that I get some time to myself, so I jammed out to some tunes which really made it feel like I was on a road trip. All day at my rest stop I got to hear "Coming into Rachel" jokes, and I must say, some people were impressively creative with their one-liners. I've forgotten a lot of them, but "I think I'll take the back entrance into Rachel" 
was a favorite of the guys. It went on and on. The town of Rachel is in the middle of Area 51, and they take pride in their "alien encounters". It's 70 miles from Caliente and 110 miles for Tonopah, and we're told, is home to 60 people. The motel we stayed at consisted of the 21 of us packing ourselves into a single wide mobile-home trailer, one of about 5 that made up said motel. It was called "The Little A'le'Inn". Our hosts were awesome and fixed us dinner in their store/lobby/restaurant. As I'm eating I'm wondering why the cute waitress, near our age, lives in this town.After dinner, 8 of us packed into the van and hauled ass for 2
hours to Las Vegas to check out the city. I never thought I'd like to go to Vegas, and I've turned down several invitations to go, but one of the reasons I'm taking this trip is to see new places. The way we did it however--laid back and cheap--I really enjoyed it. Maybe because I've been in the middle of nowhere lately and it's nice to see civilization again, but regardless, I had a great time. We finally got the van parked, although we thought at times it'd be impossible to find a parking garage it would fit in with the bike racks on top. Ryan Hill can pull off some amazing feats.
We grabbed a couple of beers and walked down to check out show at the Bellagio, won $20 on one hant the waterd of Black Jack, got 'ritas at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, headed to the Venetian and then to the newest hotel in Vegas, the Wynn.
As we were walking back to the van, I said to the rest of the crew that I it would be so awesome to run into someone I know in this huge city that I've never been to. Not 2 minutes later, as we're going up an elevator I lock eyes with a girl coming down the one next to us, and we both have that "I know you from somewhere" feeling. We continue to stare at each other as we pass on the elevators and even when I get to the top, and her the bottom, we're still looking at each other. Then all of a sudden she yells up to me, "I was your bartender in Albuquerque!" Totally unbelievable that the chick who served us drinks in a bar almost 2 weeks earlier would remember me in Vegas.
28 August 2007
Alaska Border Day
Day 65, Beaver Creek, Yukon to Northway Jct, Alaska, Aug. 5
It's Katrina & Elyse's birthdays and we leave as one big peloton around noon to set us up for the border race. I don't know if the people lined up at Canadian Customs knew who we were, or if they just thought it was cool to see a big group of cyclists out there, but the drivers and passengers of the 20 or so cars, trucks, and RVs were yelling, clapping and slapping our hands as we rode by. It was so cool that we got to celebrate this big event with an audience, some of whom were from Texas. Vitek somehow got mixed up in the loose gravel in the ditch and busted ass, face first, into the rocks. When I stopped he was fine, but I hung back and was not able to catch the peloton for the final sprint to the border sign. Our team (Coastal) took 1st-10th places. We took a million and one pictures at the big Alaska sign and the sense of accomplishment was pretty great. During our photo op a woman came up and rudely asked for us to move so she could take a picture of the sign without us in it. Impatiently she said, "I drove 3000 miles to get here and I want a picture!" We all kind of smirked and one of the guys popped back, "Oh, well we've been riding our bikes for the last 65 days to get here, over 4000 miles, so you can wait!"
Not long after we passed American Customs we stopped at a gas station/gift shop/cafe and there was no doubt we were back in America. The place had fountain drinks, regular priced candy bars, a flat screen playing ESPN in HD and waitresses talking about watching Nascar earlier in the morning. It was a nice change from the $2 canned cokes and $2 candy bars in Canada.
Amy and I rode the rest of the way in together and stopped to talk to a woman just outside of town who raises and sells Huskies. It's pretty empty out here. Since she's the Principal at the school of 40 kids--K through 12th--the rundown single wide trailer with holes in the walls and ripped up flooring, that requires a bucket of water be poured in the toilet bowl for it to flush, is passed down to her by the school rent free. The water in Northway is not drinkable so they make weekly 60 mile trips to Tok and haul water back home. She's only a few hours shy of her Ph.D. but in a year, her 17 year old son can make what she makes in salary as a flagger for the road construction crews. The place is a wreck, "but there's nothing else out here," she tells us. Amy and I get into camp & get in a quick shower before the store closes [which would turn out to be my last shower before getting to Anchorage]. The mosquitoes are unbelievably bad tonight and I'm not feeling well so I cut out early. I'm kept awake, however, until almost 3 am by a combination of coughing, a runny nose, and my teammates who are drinking and yelling long into the night.
It's Katrina & Elyse's birthdays and we leave as one big peloton around noon to set us up for the border race. I don't know if the people lined up at Canadian Customs knew who we were, or if they just thought it was cool to see a big group of cyclists out there, but the drivers and passengers of the 20 or so cars, trucks, and RVs were yelling, clapping and slapping our hands as we rode by. It was so cool that we got to celebrate this big event with an audience, some of whom were from Texas. Vitek somehow got mixed up in the loose gravel in the ditch and busted ass, face first, into the rocks. When I stopped he was fine, but I hung back and was not able to catch the peloton for the final sprint to the border sign. Our team (Coastal) took 1st-10th places. We took a million and one pictures at the big Alaska sign and the sense of accomplishment was pretty great. During our photo op a woman came up and rudely asked for us to move so she could take a picture of the sign without us in it. Impatiently she said, "I drove 3000 miles to get here and I want a picture!" We all kind of smirked and one of the guys popped back, "Oh, well we've been riding our bikes for the last 65 days to get here, over 4000 miles, so you can wait!" Not long after we passed American Customs we stopped at a gas station/gift shop/cafe and there was no doubt we were back in America. The place had fountain drinks, regular priced candy bars, a flat screen playing ESPN in HD and waitresses talking about watching Nascar earlier in the morning. It was a nice change from the $2 canned cokes and $2 candy bars in Canada.
Amy and I rode the rest of the way in together and stopped to talk to a woman just outside of town who raises and sells Huskies. It's pretty empty out here. Since she's the Principal at the school of 40 kids--K through 12th--the rundown single wide trailer with holes in the walls and ripped up flooring, that requires a bucket of water be poured in the toilet bowl for it to flush, is passed down to her by the school rent free. The water in Northway is not drinkable so they make weekly 60 mile trips to Tok and haul water back home. She's only a few hours shy of her Ph.D. but in a year, her 17 year old son can make what she makes in salary as a flagger for the road construction crews. The place is a wreck, "but there's nothing else out here," she tells us. Amy and I get into camp & get in a quick shower before the store closes [which would turn out to be my last shower before getting to Anchorage]. The mosquitoes are unbelievably bad tonight and I'm not feeling well so I cut out early. I'm kept awake, however, until almost 3 am by a combination of coughing, a runny nose, and my teammates who are drinking and yelling long into the night.
20 August 2007
Centrally Located
I'm finally back in Austin, and it's weird to say the least. I can't really expand on it much at the moment--it's still sinking in. What I'm here to say is that I'll be getting my pictures from Darlene's computer soon. When that happens, I'll be chosing some of the more interesting journal entries from this summer and blogging them along with the corresponding pictures. Be on the lookout.
14 July 2007
I ride on. And on. And on.
I'm presently in Olympia Washington and tomorrow is Seattle. I'd love to move to Portland, but I miss Austin too. This isn't going to be much of a post, because I have to hop in the shower and go to dinner. I'm just letting you know I'm still here. In a couple of days I'll be in Canada--Vancouver (yay!) to be precise--and that is going to be crazy. The distance I've gone started to set in as I rode over the Golden Gate Bridge, but Canada is going to be extra special since it'll be my first time out of the States.
My journals and pictures will be put online when I get home to regular internet access and a more normal lifestyle.
I love you all.
My journals and pictures will be put online when I get home to regular internet access and a more normal lifestyle.
I love you all.
07 May 2007
Interview Questions Thanks to Queenie Carly
1. You used to play ball for the Longhorns. What was the greatest thing that came from that experience? What do you miss most post-retirement?
The absolutely best thing about playing ball, and not just for Texas, but for as long as I've played seriously, is the friendships I've established with some of my teammates. As soon as I got to Texas for orientation, I had 18 friends who helped me figure out so much as a freshman. Now, I'm still close with several of those friends and hope to be for the rest of my life. To invest so much mental and physical effort into being an athlete on a team, and playing a sport, that means everything to you with those people, all striving and sacrificing for the same goal, is much like being in a relationship. So there's that understanding and connection between us that will never go away. Many of my best memories in life are with those friends.
As a close second, which you didn't ask for, but is still important, is the opportunity to come to school at UT. If not for playing ball, it would be hard to justify spending so much money on my education; I was only on a partial scholarship. But the possibility of winning a National Championship in the sport I've played all my life was too great an opportunity to pass up.
The thing I miss most post-retirement is simply playing ball, in the most basic and pure sense. All those baseball movies you've seen, cliche underlying love stories aside, actually reflect a ball player's love for the game.
Today I finally let Wilson talk me into going to the batting cages and to throw the ball around. The reunion was like hugging your first love but knowing you could never be together again. Today was hard. But I will always, always love and miss just going out and feeling like a kid throwing the ball around, and feeling the gratification for all my efforts as I made a huge defensive play in a big game.
2. What is one constant track on any mixed CD you do/would make for a friend?
I can't even remember the last time I made a mixed CD. But it would have to be "Business Time" by Flight of the Concords. I love those guys and like to spread their funk.
3. Which destination are you most looking forward to on your Texas 4000 trip this summer?
Vancouver, of course! Actually, I'm most excited about the stretch from Yosemite to Whistler for all of the great cities--and scenery--I'll be seeing. Oh and Anchorage, because it means I'll get to come home to all of my friends and the boys, and that I've completed this crazy experience.
4. You were recently considering some very bold career options. What is one thing you've had in your life, one influence or one experience, whatever, that enabled you to be such a remarkably courageous woman?
It's got to be that I read so much as a kid. I would walk around with as many books as I could carry, or take a huge stack out into the back yard, throw down a blanket, and lay in the grass reading all day long. I remember doing that in first grade when we had a reading competition, and I finished something like 300 books, children's books of course, but nonetheless that's a lot of reading. When I was reading Huck Finn and anything else of Twain's I could get my hands on, I found this old leather strap to keep the five or six books I was concurrently reading at the time together so I could carry them around with me everywhere I went. When I was helping my dad on this one particular house I remember we would stay really late some nights, and that's the week I read all the Greek mythology my mom had at home.
So very early on I had so many new worlds opened up to my imagination, and was aware that there was much, much more in the world for me to see than what my tiny home town offered. This, coupled with my belief from an early age that my life here on earth is all I get so I must do as much as I can while I'm able, were my foundation for ambition.
5. What is one thing that your friends and family see and instantly think "Rachael."
Jets. My dad always calls and tells me of the programs on the Discovery Channel and the Military Channel, or Modern Marvels, about fighter jets. And I get calls from my friends when they are at sporting events with flyovers. My friend who is in the Air Force in Tampa right now rubs it in that she works on the flight line, and that the Blue Angels practice out there.
I'm stoked about becoming a helicopter pilot, but I will always dream of being a fighter pilot.
...And here are a couple of bonus questions just for you.
*What do we have to do to get you to post more than once a month?
Well I'm finished up with school for the semester, so now I have more time. And with the summer I have coming up I'll have a ton to talk about. Expect many posts and many pictures in the near future.
*I read Ten Things You Need to Know about RC online. If you get another cat, will you name him Vince?
Not that I plan on a third, but if it happens I can't see that there would be any other name for him to have...Except for maybe Cat, after "the Big O" Cat Osterman. But that'd just sound silly.
*What do you want to trade for that I Heart VY shirt? (Can you even still get them???)
I looked again at the Co-op the other day, and they haven't sold them in months. But I can be pretty crafty, so I can make it happen. You've waited all this time for it, so what's 2 more months? I will personally deliver it to you when we pass through Vancouver. July 18 and 19. Mark it.
---------------------------
Now it’s YOUR turn to play:
Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions.
You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
The absolutely best thing about playing ball, and not just for Texas, but for as long as I've played seriously, is the friendships I've established with some of my teammates. As soon as I got to Texas for orientation, I had 18 friends who helped me figure out so much as a freshman. Now, I'm still close with several of those friends and hope to be for the rest of my life. To invest so much mental and physical effort into being an athlete on a team, and playing a sport, that means everything to you with those people, all striving and sacrificing for the same goal, is much like being in a relationship. So there's that understanding and connection between us that will never go away. Many of my best memories in life are with those friends.
As a close second, which you didn't ask for, but is still important, is the opportunity to come to school at UT. If not for playing ball, it would be hard to justify spending so much money on my education; I was only on a partial scholarship. But the possibility of winning a National Championship in the sport I've played all my life was too great an opportunity to pass up.
The thing I miss most post-retirement is simply playing ball, in the most basic and pure sense. All those baseball movies you've seen, cliche underlying love stories aside, actually reflect a ball player's love for the game.
Today I finally let Wilson talk me into going to the batting cages and to throw the ball around. The reunion was like hugging your first love but knowing you could never be together again. Today was hard. But I will always, always love and miss just going out and feeling like a kid throwing the ball around, and feeling the gratification for all my efforts as I made a huge defensive play in a big game.
2. What is one constant track on any mixed CD you do/would make for a friend?
I can't even remember the last time I made a mixed CD. But it would have to be "Business Time" by Flight of the Concords. I love those guys and like to spread their funk.
3. Which destination are you most looking forward to on your Texas 4000 trip this summer?
Vancouver, of course! Actually, I'm most excited about the stretch from Yosemite to Whistler for all of the great cities--and scenery--I'll be seeing. Oh and Anchorage, because it means I'll get to come home to all of my friends and the boys, and that I've completed this crazy experience.
4. You were recently considering some very bold career options. What is one thing you've had in your life, one influence or one experience, whatever, that enabled you to be such a remarkably courageous woman?
It's got to be that I read so much as a kid. I would walk around with as many books as I could carry, or take a huge stack out into the back yard, throw down a blanket, and lay in the grass reading all day long. I remember doing that in first grade when we had a reading competition, and I finished something like 300 books, children's books of course, but nonetheless that's a lot of reading. When I was reading Huck Finn and anything else of Twain's I could get my hands on, I found this old leather strap to keep the five or six books I was concurrently reading at the time together so I could carry them around with me everywhere I went. When I was helping my dad on this one particular house I remember we would stay really late some nights, and that's the week I read all the Greek mythology my mom had at home.
So very early on I had so many new worlds opened up to my imagination, and was aware that there was much, much more in the world for me to see than what my tiny home town offered. This, coupled with my belief from an early age that my life here on earth is all I get so I must do as much as I can while I'm able, were my foundation for ambition.
5. What is one thing that your friends and family see and instantly think "Rachael."
Jets. My dad always calls and tells me of the programs on the Discovery Channel and the Military Channel, or Modern Marvels, about fighter jets. And I get calls from my friends when they are at sporting events with flyovers. My friend who is in the Air Force in Tampa right now rubs it in that she works on the flight line, and that the Blue Angels practice out there.
I'm stoked about becoming a helicopter pilot, but I will always dream of being a fighter pilot.
...And here are a couple of bonus questions just for you.
*What do we have to do to get you to post more than once a month?
Well I'm finished up with school for the semester, so now I have more time. And with the summer I have coming up I'll have a ton to talk about. Expect many posts and many pictures in the near future.
*I read Ten Things You Need to Know about RC online. If you get another cat, will you name him Vince?
Not that I plan on a third, but if it happens I can't see that there would be any other name for him to have...Except for maybe Cat, after "the Big O" Cat Osterman. But that'd just sound silly.
*What do you want to trade for that I Heart VY shirt? (Can you even still get them???)
I looked again at the Co-op the other day, and they haven't sold them in months. But I can be pretty crafty, so I can make it happen. You've waited all this time for it, so what's 2 more months? I will personally deliver it to you when we pass through Vancouver. July 18 and 19. Mark it.
---------------------------
Now it’s YOUR turn to play:
Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions.
You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
07 April 2007
Dirty Bastard
Phew! I'm back online after not having a computer for about 2 weeks. Thanks to the Best Buy extended service plan that saved me $400 when my motherboard pooped out.
I've been suuuuper busy lately, but I'll be back more often. Right now I'm trying to stay warm. It's 32. In Texas. In April. WTF*CK?
28 February 2007
From a conversation earlier tonight
since you already went and generalized about "us southerners" let it be known that i can detect the slightest amount of sugar in my tea and when i do, i turn my nose up at it. and i'm with you--tea cannot be beat.
it's funny that you should say that actually. a few messages ago i dug up my list of things that i want to do in my life. some of them are very small things and some are quite outlandish (of course) and some i've done before but always make my day to do again. one of those being drink iced tea on the front porch swing. my aunt has the best old farm house and every summer we sit on the front porch, she and i in the swing, whoever else is with us in the chairs and we drink tea--sometimes with some fresh mint out of her garden. we just sit and swing and talk and enjoy the day. that's one of the ones that stood out to me on my list tonight.
my mom always makes sun tea out on our front porch and with me and my brother at the house we go through a jug a day. one of my favorite things in the world is to sit on our porch (tea in hand, of course) and look out over the land we own as a summer thunderstorm comes rolling in on us. not the dark kind of thunderstorm but the summer kind where the sky stays light and the suns back out in 30 minutes. sit and watch the rain come down and listen to the thunder come rolling down through the small valley in front of us, toward us, then over us, then on past us, then wait for the sun to move down and send us its warm, soft, fleeting kisses of orange, purple and red over that same field after the storm rolls out, as if to say, i was here for you during that but it's time for me to go on too.
it's funny that you should say that actually. a few messages ago i dug up my list of things that i want to do in my life. some of them are very small things and some are quite outlandish (of course) and some i've done before but always make my day to do again. one of those being drink iced tea on the front porch swing. my aunt has the best old farm house and every summer we sit on the front porch, she and i in the swing, whoever else is with us in the chairs and we drink tea--sometimes with some fresh mint out of her garden. we just sit and swing and talk and enjoy the day. that's one of the ones that stood out to me on my list tonight.
my mom always makes sun tea out on our front porch and with me and my brother at the house we go through a jug a day. one of my favorite things in the world is to sit on our porch (tea in hand, of course) and look out over the land we own as a summer thunderstorm comes rolling in on us. not the dark kind of thunderstorm but the summer kind where the sky stays light and the suns back out in 30 minutes. sit and watch the rain come down and listen to the thunder come rolling down through the small valley in front of us, toward us, then over us, then on past us, then wait for the sun to move down and send us its warm, soft, fleeting kisses of orange, purple and red over that same field after the storm rolls out, as if to say, i was here for you during that but it's time for me to go on too.
14 February 2007
Well has it been said that there is no grief like the grief which does not speak.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Twenty minutes before my Texas 4000 for Cancer meeting on Monday night, which happens every week as we prepare for our ride this summer, a ride to raise money for and spread hope and knowledge about cancer, I found out that my friend's mom died--from cancer. It was one of the most difficult things I've had to do--go to that meeting and sit there while my teammates talked about how many great things our organization is doing, while one of my closest friends had JUST lost her best friend in the world, how she was and will continue to grieve, and that the efforts I am doing to help beat this disease couldn't keep my friend, her mom, and her family from suffering now. Too late. I'm too late. Tina just lost her mom...
I saw Tina right up until the time she got the call to go home and say her goodbyes, and although she seemed as though she was ready, I couldn't imagine the hurt she was going through when it actually happened.
Diane found that she had lung cancer this past summer, and over the Christmas break, after surgeries and chemo, was told that her lung, brain and lymph node cancers were all but gone. Just over a month later her doctors told her that it was back, in nearly every one of her organs, and she had a month of quality life left. So she went home to her family.
She treated us all like her children. She had so much spirit at our games that she would always make tons of UT garb to hand out to our fans so they could show their support as well--especially at the World Series--so much so that ESPN did a feature on her and Tina.
While I was having a hard time grasping the situation and also having a negative attitude about our ride, Tina is actually the person who made me feel better. She wrote a letter to all her friends saying that she would put aside her selfish desires to keep her mom with her if it meant that she didn't have to suffer anymore. Even though we are making progress in the fight against cancer and people beat this disease more and more often, we're not there yet. While I couldn't do anything to help Tina and Diane, maybe my efforts will have a small part in finding a cure. Until then I can only remember the people I've lost to this awful disease...
Diane Hendry
My cousin Luke Rollins
My grandmom Granny
10 February 2007
So here we are
Spring time is rolling around and something weird is happening inside me. At first I couldn't figure it out then came to realize that something is missing. For the past 11 years, this is the time of year when I start playing ball again. What is missing is sinking my spikes into the dirt and running onto the grass in the outfield of a ball field with the warmth of the recently returned sun on my shoulders, my favorite mitt perfectly returning to my hand, and the excitement of the rest of my teammates because we all know it's the beginning of something special.
This spring I don't get to experience that. But by no means do I regret retiring. Continuing to play ball in the environment that I was playing in would have eventually led me to have such a bitter, hateful feeling towards the whole situation that that's all I would have remembered. If I had continued my career and this was me thinking about ball 2 or 3 years down the road I probably wouldn't be experiencing this nostaligia for the times I spent on the field. Instead I wouldn't think of it at all, rather I would completely block it out of my mind since the thought of playing would only remind me of the resentment I felt toward the things that drove me to retire.
Fortunately that's not the case, and I'm not at all bitter about how things went down. It was a difficult decision that I thought about for over a year, and one that forced me to walk away from something I absolutely love in order to pursue my happiness--even though it now comes from other new sources instead of from playing ball--but my happiness is the most important thing. Because I made that difficult decision, I can think about all those first days getting back on the field, about waking up at 6am to go bust my ass and test my limits and push the limits of my teammates because sometime soon it's going to help me beat out a basehit, about beating the hell out of our rivals--and getting revenge against them when they beat us, about traveling together, about getting sick of everyone else on the team because we'd spent so much time together and then giving them the biggest hug after pulling off a huge win, about dancing in the lockerroom and all the other crazy shit that went down in there, about hackey circles. About all of that great stuff.
Those are the reasons why I was playing all along anyway.
This spring I don't get to experience that. But by no means do I regret retiring. Continuing to play ball in the environment that I was playing in would have eventually led me to have such a bitter, hateful feeling towards the whole situation that that's all I would have remembered. If I had continued my career and this was me thinking about ball 2 or 3 years down the road I probably wouldn't be experiencing this nostaligia for the times I spent on the field. Instead I wouldn't think of it at all, rather I would completely block it out of my mind since the thought of playing would only remind me of the resentment I felt toward the things that drove me to retire.
Fortunately that's not the case, and I'm not at all bitter about how things went down. It was a difficult decision that I thought about for over a year, and one that forced me to walk away from something I absolutely love in order to pursue my happiness--even though it now comes from other new sources instead of from playing ball--but my happiness is the most important thing. Because I made that difficult decision, I can think about all those first days getting back on the field, about waking up at 6am to go bust my ass and test my limits and push the limits of my teammates because sometime soon it's going to help me beat out a basehit, about beating the hell out of our rivals--and getting revenge against them when they beat us, about traveling together, about getting sick of everyone else on the team because we'd spent so much time together and then giving them the biggest hug after pulling off a huge win, about dancing in the lockerroom and all the other crazy shit that went down in there, about hackey circles. About all of that great stuff.
Those are the reasons why I was playing all along anyway.
06 February 2007
05 February 2007
aah-aa, yeeah-eah
I closed my eyes and let my imagination go. It wound me up so tight I thought I'd not come down but when I did, it was on an amazing trip to places in my mind that I haven't reached in a long time. My creativity is on the loose and it's so good. It's amazing what my mind will do if I just close my eyes and let it go. Having my creative processes firing up again is quite refreshing--I'm drawing again and seeing things differently than I do every other day of the week. I'm tapping part of me that has been on hiatus for the past two years or so, but now I'm armed with the knowledge to help me keep it right this time.
31 January 2007
It's funny to be sitting at my desk, look out the window and see the cat that was only a couple of minutes ago laying across my keyboard running around outside. I didn't let him outside and no one else is in the house. Major has recently figured out how to open the door and lets himself outside whenever he feels like roaming around. That shit ain't right!
24 January 2007
disconnected ramblings
This dreary weather for the past 2 weeks or so is starting to get to me. I was really wishing today that I was in sunny California so I could go outside without having to put on a ton of clothing.
A conversation I was having earlier got me to thinking again about how much I want to travel and how I might possibly be able to do so in the near future. Sure I will be seeing over a hundred new places this summer, which sounds promising until I'm reminded of the fact that I will be seeing them for only about an hour as I ride on through them on my bike. Hopefully I'll get to explore at least a little bit in some of the cities.
Each day I'm wavering more and more about my decision to pursue flying after I graduate. It's got nothing to do with flying and everything to do with the fact that the military lifestyle is not one I want to live. I've wanted to fly more than anything my entire life, and always just considered the military as a means to an end, but I don't know if I can compromise myself that much for that long. Playing softball at Texas has given me some perspective on a similar situation. Although I don't regret playing for the 2 years I was there, I was definitely unhappy a large part of the time. I was playing the sport that I absolutely love, made great friends, and got to experience some once in a lifetime opportunities, but, obviously, I ultimately decided even those things were not worth my unhappiness. I could apply the same logic to flying, but in this case what scares me is that it would be a much larger--at least 4 year--commitment. And if I didnt' make the cut as a pilot I'd get thrown into something else which I most likely would dislike.
I recently have begun to be not so bummed out about the fact that some of my best friends have moved very far away from me--we're talking about opposite coasts--and today Wilson tells me she'll most likely be moving back to Houston in 6 months. Yeah it's just H-town, but what's a girl to do without her big sister?
A conversation I was having earlier got me to thinking again about how much I want to travel and how I might possibly be able to do so in the near future. Sure I will be seeing over a hundred new places this summer, which sounds promising until I'm reminded of the fact that I will be seeing them for only about an hour as I ride on through them on my bike. Hopefully I'll get to explore at least a little bit in some of the cities.
Each day I'm wavering more and more about my decision to pursue flying after I graduate. It's got nothing to do with flying and everything to do with the fact that the military lifestyle is not one I want to live. I've wanted to fly more than anything my entire life, and always just considered the military as a means to an end, but I don't know if I can compromise myself that much for that long. Playing softball at Texas has given me some perspective on a similar situation. Although I don't regret playing for the 2 years I was there, I was definitely unhappy a large part of the time. I was playing the sport that I absolutely love, made great friends, and got to experience some once in a lifetime opportunities, but, obviously, I ultimately decided even those things were not worth my unhappiness. I could apply the same logic to flying, but in this case what scares me is that it would be a much larger--at least 4 year--commitment. And if I didnt' make the cut as a pilot I'd get thrown into something else which I most likely would dislike.
I recently have begun to be not so bummed out about the fact that some of my best friends have moved very far away from me--we're talking about opposite coasts--and today Wilson tells me she'll most likely be moving back to Houston in 6 months. Yeah it's just H-town, but what's a girl to do without her big sister?
22 January 2007
ooooh mmm yeah, that's nice
Here's a little update for you loyal loyal reader(s) of mine. I'm alive and well and glad that school has started. Although it will be a work intensive semester academically (as well as with Texas 4000 and at the Sport Shop), I'm really excited about my classes. Hopefully I'll be able to maintain the level of motivation I've had so far to do well in my classes and finally pull off what has been to me, that elusive 4.0.
I've been reading as much as I can about the world (vague huh?), religion, listening to stimulating music, thinking A LOT and having some super conversations (which I've been missing in general) with some people.
I'm definitely taking a new approach to things, one that makes motivating myself come much more easily. I'm getting back to my old self and that is nice since I've been missing aspects of myself for the past 2 years. I'm getting back to my "let's go!" self that I was my freshman year with a little more wisdom in my head to keep myself in check and (hopefully) not make the same mistakes that I did that year to get me derailled in the first place. All the while I'm still figuring out how I feel about the world and my life and where both are going, independently of each other and because of each other. In other words, how I want to live my life, how the world is functioning and whether I should try to really apply myself to making the world function more properly or just exploit the world to create a plush lifestyle for myself. That's kind of a whole other issue to get into though.
I've rid myself (for the most part) of a cancerous burden that has been dragging me down and muddling the picture of where I want my life to go for some time and that is one of the things that has liberated me to pursue my life again. I'm seeing things more clearly than I have in quite some time which is fantasticly satisfying and extremely exciting since it's mearly the tip of what's to come.
On a lighter note, I've finally given in to myspace since, but I'm keeping it real on there. Only people who are my close friends are on my page (with only an exception or two). I am getting off of facebook too, since it has become even more invasive than myspace, which was one of my problems with myspace in the first place.
If we haven't spoken in a while, drop a line. I'd love to hear from you and you and you.
I've been reading as much as I can about the world (vague huh?), religion, listening to stimulating music, thinking A LOT and having some super conversations (which I've been missing in general) with some people.
I'm definitely taking a new approach to things, one that makes motivating myself come much more easily. I'm getting back to my old self and that is nice since I've been missing aspects of myself for the past 2 years. I'm getting back to my "let's go!" self that I was my freshman year with a little more wisdom in my head to keep myself in check and (hopefully) not make the same mistakes that I did that year to get me derailled in the first place. All the while I'm still figuring out how I feel about the world and my life and where both are going, independently of each other and because of each other. In other words, how I want to live my life, how the world is functioning and whether I should try to really apply myself to making the world function more properly or just exploit the world to create a plush lifestyle for myself. That's kind of a whole other issue to get into though.
I've rid myself (for the most part) of a cancerous burden that has been dragging me down and muddling the picture of where I want my life to go for some time and that is one of the things that has liberated me to pursue my life again. I'm seeing things more clearly than I have in quite some time which is fantasticly satisfying and extremely exciting since it's mearly the tip of what's to come.
On a lighter note, I've finally given in to myspace since, but I'm keeping it real on there. Only people who are my close friends are on my page (with only an exception or two). I am getting off of facebook too, since it has become even more invasive than myspace, which was one of my problems with myspace in the first place.
If we haven't spoken in a while, drop a line. I'd love to hear from you and you and you.
16 December 2006
Resolutions?
I think New Year's resolutions are stupid. Why is it that people need a special day to start making their lives better? Why not just do it anyway? And what's more, most of the time the ideas are abandoned or neglected after a few days or weeks anyway. That being said, do any of you have plans for making resolutions for the first day of 2007 and what might they be? What resolutions have you made in the past that you've committed to or some that you may have given up on in the past?
13 December 2006
11 December 2006
"You're crazy but I like you."
It seems like they are getting crazier and crazier daily.
But cats don't like water! More evidence that they're actually pterodactyls, or possibly velociraptors.
Their sweet side
But cats don't like water! More evidence that they're actually pterodactyls, or possibly velociraptors.
Their sweet side
10 December 2006
eff that noise
Thanks to Cat's "what the hell?" comment I'm back to blogging again.
So here's what's up:
Today is my bro's birthday. He's 23.
This is what I wish I was doing right now:
ALSO:
Cullen is coming back into town to throwdown before she leaves for Kuwait in the spring.
This time last year>>
Fall classes are over and after my two finals I'll breath a sigh of relief that I made it through the semester despite skipping half of my classes. Yes, half. The only class that I really enjoyed this semester was at 8am and of the handful of times that I went, or maybe even less, I fell asleep. So most of the time I didn't bother with going. Next semester is looking more promising.
I'm gearing up for the bike ride next summer. My teammates are pretty rad and we're working to get things set up, but I'm just ready to hop on the bike and get going already. I want to see some new stuff and can't wait to find myself waking up in a new city everyday. I think I've only been to 2 or 3 of the places that we'll be going through so that makes me extremely excited. Maybe it'll itch my traveling bone long enough for me to save some money for my next trip. Only six months until we leave for Alaska...
AND
I've moved into a new house for those of you that I haven't talked to in a long ass time. It's amazing.
So here's what's up:
Today is my bro's birthday. He's 23.
This is what I wish I was doing right now:
ALSO:
Cullen is coming back into town to throwdown before she leaves for Kuwait in the spring.
This time last year>>
Fall classes are over and after my two finals I'll breath a sigh of relief that I made it through the semester despite skipping half of my classes. Yes, half. The only class that I really enjoyed this semester was at 8am and of the handful of times that I went, or maybe even less, I fell asleep. So most of the time I didn't bother with going. Next semester is looking more promising.
I'm gearing up for the bike ride next summer. My teammates are pretty rad and we're working to get things set up, but I'm just ready to hop on the bike and get going already. I want to see some new stuff and can't wait to find myself waking up in a new city everyday. I think I've only been to 2 or 3 of the places that we'll be going through so that makes me extremely excited. Maybe it'll itch my traveling bone long enough for me to save some money for my next trip. Only six months until we leave for Alaska...
AND
I've moved into a new house for those of you that I haven't talked to in a long ass time. It's amazing.
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