Rambling Away

Quilting

I'm still working on the satin stitching for "My Tweets" and I'm almost done.  I will put pics up soon.  The blocks look fabulous!  I need to do the center panel and make two more blocks to get caught up.  I have loved doing this quilt.  My Topaz and Ruby make gorgeous satin stitching.


Cycling


I did 7 miles on my 29er the other day.  29ers have 29 inch tires instead of 26 inch ones.  You either love or hate them when you ride one for the first time.  I happen to love mine.  She's fast and nimble.  I have a WSD (women's specific design) model.  Women tend to have longer legs and shorter torsos making for a different style of bike.  I can ride men's bikes given that I'm tall but she's perfect for me.

I wish I could get purple tires or rims for her, but they don't make that color.  I did find out I can put 700 tires on a 29er while at a LBS (local bike shop) today making her more of a street bike than a mountain bike.  They don't come in wide widths like mountain bike tires so finding something that doesn't look out of proportion might be hard.

I've learned a couple of things about tires the past few weeks.  First, tires deflate over time.  Second, Presta valves need to be screwed shut or you lose air faster.  There's nothing more embarrassing than realizing you've been running your Madone with tire pressures of 10 when they should be at 90-100 for about 2 months.  My son fell over with laughter and shock when he pointed this out to me after asking him about my tires looking flat.  How come he knows all this and I don't?

Once again I hate being self-taught.  There isn't anyone else that cycles down my way so I'm on my own for figuring things out.  I have to drive 80 miles to Lincoln or Omaha if I want a bike trail.  I'm still self-concious about being in cycling clothing.  I can't use clipless pedals to save my life.  I've had two concussions because of clipless pedals despite wearing a helment. I have had more bruises on my body this summer than I care to count.  I still can't get farther than 5-7 miles w/o nearly passing out yet people I know via the internet are boasting that they've ridden 10+miles and they just started that day.  I'm still too "fat" for cycling gear as I discovered today while looking for jackets.  Crappy fat hips.

BTW: always wear a helmet.  It's not concussion proof, but when you hit the asphalt, you're not going to crack your head open.  The more expensive ones mean they are lighter than a 45 dollar one.  Lighter means you don't have a stiff neck after cycling.

So why don't I give it up?

1.  I have killer legs.  Slim, sleek and sexy.  At least that's what DH says.
2.  My blood pressure is around 113 over something instead of being high.
3.  Despite my setbacks I can go up the killer hills I couldn't do when I started.
4.  I can let out my inner speed demon and go as fast as I want/can when it's safe.
5.  I'm eating better.  I haven't lost weight, but I'm hoping it's more muscle than fat.
6.  I'm crazy and seem to like self-punishment.
7.  It's making me face my fears/anxiety every time I'm on.
8.  When I accomplish something like making a left turn on a major highway, I feel empowered.
9.  I've put way too much money in this to stop.
10.  Somehow I happen to love it.