that there is no Conquer the Canyons stage race this year.
Bummer...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
I'm thankful...
for lots of things: special friends, silly dogs, being back on my bike after 4.5 weeks, long weekends, blah blah blah...
However, today I'm also thankful for NOT getting a ticket on my bike! I've had 3 sublime days of group rides, and its been fun (and painful..). Thanksgiving day's lake ride is usually a ride I enjoy very much, but going for a long ride after being off the bike for so long, well, maybe not the best idea! It became all about survival mode about 50 miles in, when there was still 1 climb to go :-). However, thanks to my great riding buddies, they waited for me to drag my slow arse up that hill :) (thanks, guys...). It had been a LONG time since I had felt that slow. But I made it, and 2 days (and a bunch of miles) later, I'm feeling much more like myself. My legs still aren't quite dancing on the pedals yet...but it's coming back. And I can still descend with reckless abandon :-). At least no one has to wait for me at the BOTTOM of a hill! Nothing like jumping back in with both feet.
Oh..back to the ticket story! On the way out today, we stopped at the first few stop signs. After Marco's post about stop signs...there has been a little movement underway to do our part and obey the road signs on the big group rides. And in one small town, where we ALWAYS get followed by our friendly local lawenforcement, we also stopped at the stop sign. There is, however, another sign in that town, that many folk have been told that if they go on the far right of the stop sign, it is ok not to stop... but today it seemed to be not the case. Soon thereafter, we were all pulled over. It was a HUGE group, maybe 50+ of us! Anyway, they made us wait awhile while they decided what to do, and after a lecture (and determining that there was a bit of confusion about whether it was OK or not to go around the stop sign on the right...), they let us go with a stern warning. Needless to say we were pretty careful from there on out...
Anyway, it is GREAT to be back on the bike! Hopefully all my riding buddies will bear with me while I get "back up to speed" so to speak... So far, so good!
Ciao!
However, today I'm also thankful for NOT getting a ticket on my bike! I've had 3 sublime days of group rides, and its been fun (and painful..). Thanksgiving day's lake ride is usually a ride I enjoy very much, but going for a long ride after being off the bike for so long, well, maybe not the best idea! It became all about survival mode about 50 miles in, when there was still 1 climb to go :-). However, thanks to my great riding buddies, they waited for me to drag my slow arse up that hill :) (thanks, guys...). It had been a LONG time since I had felt that slow. But I made it, and 2 days (and a bunch of miles) later, I'm feeling much more like myself. My legs still aren't quite dancing on the pedals yet...but it's coming back. And I can still descend with reckless abandon :-). At least no one has to wait for me at the BOTTOM of a hill! Nothing like jumping back in with both feet.
Oh..back to the ticket story! On the way out today, we stopped at the first few stop signs. After Marco's post about stop signs...there has been a little movement underway to do our part and obey the road signs on the big group rides. And in one small town, where we ALWAYS get followed by our friendly local lawenforcement, we also stopped at the stop sign. There is, however, another sign in that town, that many folk have been told that if they go on the far right of the stop sign, it is ok not to stop... but today it seemed to be not the case. Soon thereafter, we were all pulled over. It was a HUGE group, maybe 50+ of us! Anyway, they made us wait awhile while they decided what to do, and after a lecture (and determining that there was a bit of confusion about whether it was OK or not to go around the stop sign on the right...), they let us go with a stern warning. Needless to say we were pretty careful from there on out...
Anyway, it is GREAT to be back on the bike! Hopefully all my riding buddies will bear with me while I get "back up to speed" so to speak... So far, so good!
Ciao!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Yipppeeeeee!
MRI REPORT
Procedure: MRI OF THE LEFT SHOULDER WITHOUT INTRAVENOUS CONTRAST
COMPARISON: None
INDICATIONS: Not provided
TECHNIQUE: A variety of imaging planes and parameters were utilized for visualization of suspected pathology. Images performed without contrast.
FINDINGS:
ROTATOR CUFF: The rotator cuff tendons are intact without strain or tear. No evidence of a full thickness rotator cuff tear.
MUSCLES: Normal
LIGAMENTS: Normal
LABRUM: The glenoid labrum is intact circumferentially
AC JOINT: There is a mild sprain of the acromioclavicular joint without diastasis or elevation of the distal clavicle
ACROMION: Mild downsloping of the anterolateral acromion (Type II configuration)
OTHER: There is a healing fracture involving greater tuberosity of the humeral head without displacement or distraction. There is a trace subacromial subdeltoid bursitis.
CONCLUSIONS: No evidence of rotator cuff tear. Healing fracture involving the greater tuberosity of the humeral head without displacement or distraction. Mild sprain of the A/C joint without diastasis.
11/16/2007, 15:51
What this really means is:
I NO LONGER HAVE TO RIDE INSIDE!!!! YEAH. No golf or swimming until January, but for now, riding is OK!!!
Dr. Ryu said my range of motion is excellent, and that it is safe to run/bike, but no weightlifting quite yet. And no crashing! I think I can handle that..
And just in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend!!!!!!!!
See you out there on the roads....
I guess I have to get a new helmet.
Ciao!!
Procedure: MRI OF THE LEFT SHOULDER WITHOUT INTRAVENOUS CONTRAST
COMPARISON: None
INDICATIONS: Not provided
TECHNIQUE: A variety of imaging planes and parameters were utilized for visualization of suspected pathology. Images performed without contrast.
FINDINGS:
ROTATOR CUFF: The rotator cuff tendons are intact without strain or tear. No evidence of a full thickness rotator cuff tear.
MUSCLES: Normal
LIGAMENTS: Normal
LABRUM: The glenoid labrum is intact circumferentially
AC JOINT: There is a mild sprain of the acromioclavicular joint without diastasis or elevation of the distal clavicle
ACROMION: Mild downsloping of the anterolateral acromion (Type II configuration)
OTHER: There is a healing fracture involving greater tuberosity of the humeral head without displacement or distraction. There is a trace subacromial subdeltoid bursitis.
CONCLUSIONS: No evidence of rotator cuff tear. Healing fracture involving the greater tuberosity of the humeral head without displacement or distraction. Mild sprain of the A/C joint without diastasis.
11/16/2007, 15:51
What this really means is:
I NO LONGER HAVE TO RIDE INSIDE!!!! YEAH. No golf or swimming until January, but for now, riding is OK!!!
Dr. Ryu said my range of motion is excellent, and that it is safe to run/bike, but no weightlifting quite yet. And no crashing! I think I can handle that..
And just in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend!!!!!!!!
See you out there on the roads....
I guess I have to get a new helmet.
Ciao!!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
53 minutes...
...would be the time that it takes me to run a 10k when I have only run 3 times in the past year (2 of those in the past week), and re-convince myself that indeed, I have really NO natural talent for running :-).
My graduate student, Kari, and I did the UCSB 10K Turkey Trot yesterday. My goal was to run the whole thing, and to not get last place. I managed to meet both of those goals :-). I ran a couple of times last week as cross-training exercise, and so when Kari mentioned getting a bunch of us together to do it, it sounded fun enough. However, by the morning of the race, that 'bunch' had dwindled to just me and Kari! Oh well...and considering Kari just raced a half marathon, I knew it was going to be painful :-).
Anyway, it was a good, condensed workout, and it just reminded me how much I love cycling :-).
The UCSB Rowing team put on a great race, however, with lots of support. Hopefully they made some $$ on the event. The weather certainly could have been nicer...but you take what you get!
Ciao!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
On Knowing Secrets
Sometimes I sneak up on my dog, Aidan, when I get home...just to see what he's up to when he thinks I'm not looking (a good friend of mine gave me the idea--and it's just so much fun!). It's very comical, and maybe a topic for a future blog. However, I already feel like I'm being sneaky this week, without even trying! I happen to be on the UCSB Cycling Team Google Group. This is because I was going to go on some of their training rides, as they leave extra early in the morning, and I was planning on getting some big base miles in that way, riding with all the young whippersnappers (I don't believe I've ever used THAT word before...). However, this week it became more entertaining. Let me elaborate:
Yesterday there was a post on the listserv describing the training ride for Thursday. An excerpt of this email follows:
"...
Thursday ride leaves from Storke at 6:30 AM. This ride will involve
some climbing. We will head up .... and take ... back into
town. Climbing will be very controlled (please control yourself!),
and we will be back around 9 for people that need to goto class. I
will be riding longer for anyone that does not have class and can get
in the whole 3.5 - 4 hour ride."
This would be fine and all...but this said poster "who will be riding longer for anyone who does not have class"...happens to have MY CLASS at 9:30!!!
HMPH!!! How torn I am...I like cycling as much as the next bike geek...but it becomes slightly personal when people start blowing off MY CLASS (which you don't see ME blowing off to ride my bike...) to go on a 4 hour pre-season training ride! I feel a Thursday morning pop quiz coming on...
Inside information is funny sometimes...
Ciao!
Yesterday there was a post on the listserv describing the training ride for Thursday. An excerpt of this email follows:
"...
Thursday ride leaves from Storke at 6:30 AM. This ride will involve
some climbing. We will head up .... and take ... back into
town. Climbing will be very controlled (please control yourself!),
and we will be back around 9 for people that need to goto class. I
will be riding longer for anyone that does not have class and can get
in the whole 3.5 - 4 hour ride."
This would be fine and all...but this said poster "who will be riding longer for anyone who does not have class"...happens to have MY CLASS at 9:30!!!
HMPH!!! How torn I am...I like cycling as much as the next bike geek...but it becomes slightly personal when people start blowing off MY CLASS (which you don't see ME blowing off to ride my bike...) to go on a 4 hour pre-season training ride! I feel a Thursday morning pop quiz coming on...
Inside information is funny sometimes...
Ciao!
girls and the art of bike maintenance...
I'm a girl. I'm also an engineer (well, I have a Ph.D. in engineering, but I'm not sure academics count as actual engineers....that is a debatable one), and I sometimes pretend to be a bike racer. I like the fact that when random people meet me for the first time, I am not easily stereotyped. That makes things somehow more fun! Although I didn't know a thing about bike maintenance just a couple years ago (I could change the tires on my mountain bike but that was as far as things went), I have eventually managed to figure out the way most things work on a bike (at least the simple stuff...). And this seems to have made me the go-to-girl for simple bike issues. This weekend, I was called from inactive duty to install a garmin for my friend. This was a pretty simple thing to do, install one cadence/speed sensor and mount the thing on the bike...and make sure it worked...but she felt the need to document it with photos, and so I feel obligated to post one on the old blog... Maybe if my day job falls through, I can (in her words) "get a job with Dave (my 'real' bike mechanic) doing housecalls for the needy and incompetent?"
Maybe I'm just nervous about the discussion scheduled for later today (sans me...) having to do with my possible promotion...and am pondering other career options. Just kidding, of course, as I have a pretty good gig going here, and I'm one of those people who actually likes what I do at least some of the time...so I shouldn't complain.
:-)
Ciao!!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
an Excuse for Everything!
Happy Halloween, fellow bloggers and blog-lurkers!
CRASH UPDATE: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that my first followup xray, 12 days post crash, showed complete healing of the broken bone. The fracture line was not visible on the xray, and things look exactly like they're supposed to! Yippeee!!! However, the bad news is I'm still looking at a LONG rehab, as all I'm supposed to be doing now is the simplest of ROM exercises, and still nothing coming even CLOSE to riding outside! However, my cross training plan seems to be working, and a combination of walking/hiking, riding the TT bike on the trainer, and going to the gym seems to be tiring me out at least as much as riding outside used to...so hopefully I won't be too behind the game! I'm getting really sick of the sling, though. I'm such a bad patient!
However, life goes on, and there are still things happening to keep me entertained. Especially last night...when sometime between the time I went to sleep (11pm) and woke up (5am), I got some interesting emails. You see, in my Design course, homework is due on Thursday. Last week, I gave them a bit of a break, and gave them an extra 5 days to do the homework. However, being undergraduates, this didn't mean a thing..many of them waited until yesterday to begin it, at which time they realized it was a tad time consuming! So I got these emails "excerpts only":
"..There is a lot going on this week: with a couple of midterms in other ME classes, Halloween, and the fires. Even for the people that do not go out for Halloween, they still suffer from a lack of sleep from the loud people partying in the apartment next door. I know that other people have also been affected by the fires, as one of my family's properties in Ramona burnt down last week. For me specifically, I am sending in my applications for medical school this week, and I am really swamped. An extension would be infinitely helpful. Please let me know if you could do this. Thank you for your time, ..."
"...Most of us have at least three homework assignments due at the end of this week and we all have a midterm on Friday. Is there any possible way you can maybe cut the assignment down a bit and have some of it due on monday? Also the h.w. is still not posted on the web so a bunch of students that don't have the notes are in even hotter water than me. Also, this is not a plee to make halloween night less hectic. I don't care about that I just need to focus on my midterm and getting my resume ready...."
and
"..Me and a few of my fellow engineering friends strongly feel that this homework assignment should be due at a later time due to the fact that we also have hw and a midterm in ME 155A Controls Design on thursay. I know that you had already given us a couple more days to finish the assignment, but halloween weekend didnt really help that much..."
So, am I being unreasonable? Halloween is a big party scene down here in SB, but last weekend was the 'halloween party weekend', too (as i heard from my windows every night), which is why i gave them an extra weekend on the front end to work on the assignment! :-) I was thinking ahead...but alas they were not. I don't understand why they complain about homework in MY class (where HW is always due on thursdays--it is not like this is new to them), vs. on of the other ones mentioned in the emails. A no win situation. However, I have to hold a hard line. I've decided to devote part of class tomorrow to homework time, and the rest to exam review (they have a midterm next Tuesday). I feel that's pretty nice of me, and about all I can do to appease them and still 'hold a hard line.' Wow...
I guess I'm just in a complainy mood...there are, of course, many students in the class who began the homework last week, and are finished by this point. I don't want to penalize them for being on top of things!
It is a fine line--that line between friendly and helpful, and them walking all over you! The game is on...
Ciao!!
CRASH UPDATE: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that my first followup xray, 12 days post crash, showed complete healing of the broken bone. The fracture line was not visible on the xray, and things look exactly like they're supposed to! Yippeee!!! However, the bad news is I'm still looking at a LONG rehab, as all I'm supposed to be doing now is the simplest of ROM exercises, and still nothing coming even CLOSE to riding outside! However, my cross training plan seems to be working, and a combination of walking/hiking, riding the TT bike on the trainer, and going to the gym seems to be tiring me out at least as much as riding outside used to...so hopefully I won't be too behind the game! I'm getting really sick of the sling, though. I'm such a bad patient!
However, life goes on, and there are still things happening to keep me entertained. Especially last night...when sometime between the time I went to sleep (11pm) and woke up (5am), I got some interesting emails. You see, in my Design course, homework is due on Thursday. Last week, I gave them a bit of a break, and gave them an extra 5 days to do the homework. However, being undergraduates, this didn't mean a thing..many of them waited until yesterday to begin it, at which time they realized it was a tad time consuming! So I got these emails "excerpts only":
"..There is a lot going on this week: with a couple of midterms in other ME classes, Halloween, and the fires. Even for the people that do not go out for Halloween, they still suffer from a lack of sleep from the loud people partying in the apartment next door. I know that other people have also been affected by the fires, as one of my family's properties in Ramona burnt down last week. For me specifically, I am sending in my applications for medical school this week, and I am really swamped. An extension would be infinitely helpful. Please let me know if you could do this. Thank you for your time, ..."
"...Most of us have at least three homework assignments due at the end of this week and we all have a midterm on Friday. Is there any possible way you can maybe cut the assignment down a bit and have some of it due on monday? Also the h.w. is still not posted on the web so a bunch of students that don't have the notes are in even hotter water than me. Also, this is not a plee to make halloween night less hectic. I don't care about that I just need to focus on my midterm and getting my resume ready...."
and
"..Me and a few of my fellow engineering friends strongly feel that this homework assignment should be due at a later time due to the fact that we also have hw and a midterm in ME 155A Controls Design on thursay. I know that you had already given us a couple more days to finish the assignment, but halloween weekend didnt really help that much..."
So, am I being unreasonable? Halloween is a big party scene down here in SB, but last weekend was the 'halloween party weekend', too (as i heard from my windows every night), which is why i gave them an extra weekend on the front end to work on the assignment! :-) I was thinking ahead...but alas they were not. I don't understand why they complain about homework in MY class (where HW is always due on thursdays--it is not like this is new to them), vs. on of the other ones mentioned in the emails. A no win situation. However, I have to hold a hard line. I've decided to devote part of class tomorrow to homework time, and the rest to exam review (they have a midterm next Tuesday). I feel that's pretty nice of me, and about all I can do to appease them and still 'hold a hard line.' Wow...
I guess I'm just in a complainy mood...there are, of course, many students in the class who began the homework last week, and are finished by this point. I don't want to penalize them for being on top of things!
It is a fine line--that line between friendly and helpful, and them walking all over you! The game is on...
Ciao!!
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