The temperature keeps on getting colder and colder… it rains… it sort of snows… or we have hail falling from the sky… none of this conditions make me a happy camper. Sure, I must say that when I used to live in FL my dream was to get away from the doors of Hades into a little colder place. Then, to my own fortune, I ended up in Asheville, NC. Great weather… not too cool… not too hot… sometimes we had a little snow but wasn’t a big deal; you could pretty much bike/run all year run.
Well, now I am here in Harrisburg, PA and things are just wack! The summer/spring was super hot (almost like FL), the fall was like Asheville, and now the winter is like well nothing I’ve experienced before. I’ve been with the flu couple times = 3 weeks or so miserable (which have sidetracked me from training) and this weekend I got a cold (which was a shame because I went to DC in a mini-vacation just to get sick!). I guess I will eventually get used to the weather… the bad part is that I am sure when I get used to I'll be moved somewhere else (yeah there I go with my pessimist thought).
Anyway, this weather is making me spend more time bundled with a warm blanket and a cute kitty (Faust)…
Ok, more to come some other time, hopefully not another lame blog… I just need to stay positive… the weather shouldn’t be such a big factor to make me go HMmmm, HMmmm… the flu, cold, etc will go away and I just need to look up in a bright way just like Faust does =)
Went to the gym last night… it was ok… I was into 20 min of running when nature called! Close call LOL…
I am feeling ok, a little sore, and tired at times… I was thinking about going out to run after work but it gets so dark so soon that I prefer to take tonight as a break/recovering day and go tomorrow and then to the gym… The weather has been so nice (and hot yeah hot! Here I come again “this CPA weird weather!) that I should go out to run during the weekends so I get used to being outdoors instead of always indoor at the gym…
I am also thinking (and notice I wrote “thinking”!!!) to start waking up a little bit early in the mornings so I can go and run at least 30 min and then get ready and go to work… then after work go to the gym and run another 20-30 min and do weights… Mmmm I will try to do so this up coming week. The following one will be hard as I will giving/conducting training… yeah super tolerance/patience me will be doing that… we shall see what happens…
November 6 2008
- 20 min running almost 2 miles (had to stop thanks to nature’s call LOL)
- 40 min intense biceps/triceps workout and a little bit of abs
November 7 2008
- Break/recovery
Sore, sore, sore from Monday… it is amazing how bad your body can hurt after getting back to the gym…
Nov 4 2008:
- Elections day: first time in my life I was able to vote! Yay! But totally disappointed with the outcome…
- Run: 20 min almost 2 miles
- Workout: shoulders 45 min
Nov 5 2008:
- Off although I have lots of laundry to do and that is a workout itself. 60 steps! Up and down with a basket full of clothes. Three trips down and three up: 60 steps x 6 = 360 steps!!! With couple lbs of clothes! Yeah I end up with my breathless… but heck a good way to keep my gluteus in shape LOL
So here I am, back to do some major blogging =)
I got side tracked for a while… didn’t do much (or I can say almost none) mtn biking this year. I didn’t get in a real work-out routing. And I just stop training…
Now is the time to get back… enough excuses… I want to get back to the things I enjoy, mtn biking will have to wait until the winter passes by, but working out and running are back. Yesterday, Monday Nov 3 2008 I started a new chapter in my life where I will keep on training to my goal of running my first half marathon on May 3 (Frederick Half Marathon) followed by the Baltimore one (October 2009) so I can complete the “Double Dare,” run some 5K’s every month (if they are around here), and mtn bike.
I will blog my progress at training and any competitions I might be part of…
November 04 2008:
- Run: 15 min 1 ½ mile. Yes this is pitiful but I just came out from a week with a horrible flu…
- Workout: 45 min chest and back. Good pain…
The leaves are turning red now… I can’t believe how fast time goes by… soon it’ll be a year living here…
I haven’t post much… and not sure how long it will take me to post again… not sure why I haven’t post that much lately but I’ve found other priorities, perhaps now that I have internet at my place I’ll post more… not sure…
If one would have a crystal ball so that it can see the future...
The song of this season for me:
Evergreen by Faithless
Running with my rain face on
Today I woke up feeling sad
I know that you said that one day I would be glad
Hold the Choirs of Winter,
The Birds are calling to me and
All the leaves I came to love are falling
Ribbons on evergreen, owls that pull them apart
I can hear you singing my funny valentine
Oh you know that breaks my heart
Hold the choirs of winter,
The Birds are calling to me and
All the leaves I came to love
Oh you know that breaks my heart
Oh you know that breaks my heart
Running with my rain face on
No idea of what to say
No idea of what to do
In this fear that never goes (away…)
Waiting for all my dreams (waiting, all my dreams…)
Oh you know it breaks my heart…
Hold the Choirs of Winter,
The Birds are calling to me and
All the leaves I came to love
Oh you know it breaks my heart
Oh you know it breaks my heart
Oh you know That breaks my heart
Everything going on in my life is all good…
I haven’t been writing much in my blog or at least as much as I used to especially compared to last year. I was thinking “why so?”; well life has been much busier this year since coming (or was drafted) into the SAP implementation project and since being relocated to Harrisburg PA (thanks to my company). I can’t believe that more than half of the year is gone and our fiscal year is pretty much over.
I’ve been in a constant environment of changes, movements, and learning/dealing with things that I didn’t know/dealt with before…
My life is so consumed with never-ending meetings, I can’t believe how many meetings I have to attend at work… deal with this, deal with that, dealing with situations that no one dealt with before, dealing with people that are so different from each other, dealing with people from different parts of the business, dealing with people from different parts of the division/company… Oh what a world… But I like it… I like all the “drama” and the fact that I feel productive. I like what I am doing (although at times I can bitch about it) because I am doing something of big impact to my corporation. I am proud of being part of this project and my team… And I know all this interaction and "dealings" will help me in the future as I know I'll keep on moving up within the corporation.
Moreover, my personal life is overall great. I love my friends, they have become my urban family and I enjoy so much the time we spend together… Our email talks… our going out… their support and acceptance at my “gayness” LOL, they are just amazing… here is a picture with my girls… ahh… love y’all! =)
I haven’t been writing much in my blog or at least as much as I used to especially compared to last year. I was thinking “why so?”; well life has been much busier this year since coming (or was drafted) into the SAP implementation project and since being relocated to Harrisburg PA (thanks to my company). I can’t believe that more than half of the year is gone and our fiscal year is pretty much over.
I’ve been in a constant environment of changes, movements, and learning/dealing with things that I didn’t know/dealt with before…
My life is so consumed with never-ending meetings, I can’t believe how many meetings I have to attend at work… deal with this, deal with that, dealing with situations that no one dealt with before, dealing with people that are so different from each other, dealing with people from different parts of the business, dealing with people from different parts of the division/company… Oh what a world… But I like it… I like all the “drama” and the fact that I feel productive. I like what I am doing (although at times I can bitch about it) because I am doing something of big impact to my corporation. I am proud of being part of this project and my team… And I know all this interaction and "dealings" will help me in the future as I know I'll keep on moving up within the corporation.
Moreover, my personal life is overall great. I love my friends, they have become my urban family and I enjoy so much the time we spend together… Our email talks… our going out… their support and acceptance at my “gayness” LOL, they are just amazing… here is a picture with my girls… ahh… love y’all! =)
I finally have my own furniture, my own space, my own image… everything is exactly the way I always wanted it to be… all clean, modern furniture/decoration… it took me a little longer than others but it is finally done and I did it all by myself! And guess what? I can also parallel park LOL LOL LOL that is a BIG deal to me… Gym is back in my routing… and Faust is the cutiest cat in the world... Ah I am so blessed!
It is all good!
This weekend I went to Philly to enjoy the Philly Pride festivities. I was really excited to go being this my first “pride” experience. You see, it has taken me what is seems a long time to finally be “out and about” and be proud of being queer. In the past, I never allowed myself to enjoy any pride festivities or even say “I am gay”… to me that was something that it was my own “personal business” and something I deal with it… no a business for anyone else to know…Anyways, now I am passed those “dark age” years and I just feel happy with the real and total person I am… I am happy to be out… I am happy to be the real me… It feels like I can finally breathe… SO… I had all the excitement built up of my first pride… but now I must say I feel the same way I felt the first time I went to Disney = total disappointment.
I remember growing up I used to dream about the day I would go to Disney… it seemed almost an impossible dream… especially being a girl from Costa Rica (with a single mom so not much money around), how in the heck would I ever go to Disney… well years later when I moved to FL I was finally able to go… Ah I remember the excitement… I couldn’t sleep… I couldn’t believe I was going to Epcot… I went to all the Disney parks (except Animal Kingdom) and the more I went the more disappointed and almost “betrayed” I felt… my dreams went to trash… Disney was not what I was expecting… all those years of dreaming for that day I step a foot in Disney… all those years… for NOTHING!
Well, this weekend I felt a little similar to my Disney experience, no as bad but similar. There were also other issues happening that made this experience perhaps not as pleasant as I would have liked it but they were not the determinant factor, they just contributed to the cause =) Also, what a freakinig weather!!! I haven't experienced weather in the high 90's since moving from FL, oh Gosh!
I will not say that I will never go back to Philly Pride…. I might go again… but this time I know what I am going to see… the typical stuff = dykes on bikes (opening the parade see pic) and of course a big rainbow flag… oh and many gay people… Lesbians of all ages at the lesbian club… gay guys with their talks on the streets/restaurants… etc, etc…
And that’s about it.
Ok so I have been gone from my blog for a while! Actually for months! I really neglected it but life has been busy!
Work has been taking a big part of my time and life… the project I've been working on is just taking some of the best energy and effort out of me! Crazy schedules… from 7 am to who knows… to 5ish… to 6ish… no lunch breaks… not loo breaks… you get the idea!
Also, I finally got my “goods” from Asheville and I am starting to get my flat in a livable way… I still need more furniture but I am getting there…
Friends also get part of my time… ah they are really the best… very fortunate that I’ve found my “gang” here… we enjoy life as much as we can… a good meal and glass of wine!
Also, I’ve done some mtn bike riding but it is difficult to do it as often as I used to due to work and the schedule… In addition, my precious bike decided to give me some technical problems (too long to explain) so my bike friend Jim took my bike this weekend to tune it up, clean it, give it a good maintenance so it will be ready for hopefully a ride Wednesday (depeding on work schedule and weather). We are also going to try to make Sunday mornings our ritual day for mtn biking… that’s at least one day at week! I will try to add more as the weather continues to get better.
Work has been taking a big part of my time and life… the project I've been working on is just taking some of the best energy and effort out of me! Crazy schedules… from 7 am to who knows… to 5ish… to 6ish… no lunch breaks… not loo breaks… you get the idea!
Also, I finally got my “goods” from Asheville and I am starting to get my flat in a livable way… I still need more furniture but I am getting there…
Friends also get part of my time… ah they are really the best… very fortunate that I’ve found my “gang” here… we enjoy life as much as we can… a good meal and glass of wine!
Also, I’ve done some mtn bike riding but it is difficult to do it as often as I used to due to work and the schedule… In addition, my precious bike decided to give me some technical problems (too long to explain) so my bike friend Jim took my bike this weekend to tune it up, clean it, give it a good maintenance so it will be ready for hopefully a ride Wednesday (depeding on work schedule and weather). We are also going to try to make Sunday mornings our ritual day for mtn biking… that’s at least one day at week! I will try to add more as the weather continues to get better.
It is official, I’ve signed for the Federick’s Half Marathon in MD on May 4. Yay! LOL.
I think I am going to be in trouuuubleeee… they said it takes about 16 weeks to be in shape and ready to run a full and/or half marathon… would 16 days be a good equivalent? LOL LOL
So why am I doing it? For three specific reasons (not in importance of order):
- Because I want to get out of my lazy mood and get in a constant training mood and be motivated. Once I sign into something and have paid $65!!!! You bet I’ll take my behind to the place, show up, and try to do something! LOL.
- I want to get points torwards the Blue Ridge Cup… AND I am going to sign for the Baltimore Half Marathon so I can complite the “Double Dare” and get a little extra medal… awww how cute! LOL.
- I always wanted to run a half marathon. My ex used to run one each month and I thought that was crazy and admirable and really got me into “you can do it” but I really never did it, but this is a new year and it is time for me to stop with excuses and do it!
Would I be able to run the full half marathon? Gosh I hope so but I know at least I can run half of it before walking LOL LOL I don’t want to walk the whole thing! I have some pride! Plus you need to keep a 14 min mile pace if not they will take you out of the race!
I want to do some kind of running race every month. Mtn biking around here is though… I am supposed to go to some rides with my friend Jim but probably end up with other cross training like road biking… BTW, I really want to go to Utah or/and Colorado and do my serious mtn biking trip…
So there you have it! I’ve been good at going to the gym and running… although my eating is getting so messed up still having no furniture and cooking stuff (yes still no furniture, no tv, etc… I think I’ll have everything back or bought when I am ready to move out of my apt LOL).
Till then keep on training! Oh yeah and tonight GO LADIES VOLS!
I think I am going to be in trouuuubleeee… they said it takes about 16 weeks to be in shape and ready to run a full and/or half marathon… would 16 days be a good equivalent? LOL LOL
So why am I doing it? For three specific reasons (not in importance of order):
- Because I want to get out of my lazy mood and get in a constant training mood and be motivated. Once I sign into something and have paid $65!!!! You bet I’ll take my behind to the place, show up, and try to do something! LOL.
- I want to get points torwards the Blue Ridge Cup… AND I am going to sign for the Baltimore Half Marathon so I can complite the “Double Dare” and get a little extra medal… awww how cute! LOL.
- I always wanted to run a half marathon. My ex used to run one each month and I thought that was crazy and admirable and really got me into “you can do it” but I really never did it, but this is a new year and it is time for me to stop with excuses and do it!
Would I be able to run the full half marathon? Gosh I hope so but I know at least I can run half of it before walking LOL LOL I don’t want to walk the whole thing! I have some pride! Plus you need to keep a 14 min mile pace if not they will take you out of the race!
I want to do some kind of running race every month. Mtn biking around here is though… I am supposed to go to some rides with my friend Jim but probably end up with other cross training like road biking… BTW, I really want to go to Utah or/and Colorado and do my serious mtn biking trip…
So there you have it! I’ve been good at going to the gym and running… although my eating is getting so messed up still having no furniture and cooking stuff (yes still no furniture, no tv, etc… I think I’ll have everything back or bought when I am ready to move out of my apt LOL).
Till then keep on training! Oh yeah and tonight GO LADIES VOLS!
After days (or weeks or months) of complaining about Harrisburg’s weather yesterday afternoon was the difference I’ve been waiting…
I came out from work and it was sunny, blue skies, and warm… yes warm! I almost had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming…It was actually a reality! It was a perfect (if it is such a thing as perfection) afternoon… it finally felt like spring!
I went back to my sanctuary = apartment (btw still no furniture and I might not have some in sometime… that’s another story but let’s put it this way BillMeLater is the worse, liars, criminals company in the net!) and changed into my running clothes… put my running-training shoes on and hit the road!
I crossed my street and started to run along the river… crossed an old bridge to City Island…came back to Downtown… ran more along the river… overall I did one hour! That’s probably the longest I’ve ran in a while or at least since I moved up here.
Everyone was out enjoying the beautiful afternoon… runners… bikers… walkers… people walking their dogs… couples holding hands… I really was happy!
Today the weather has changed again. It is very windy and chill… the weather here is so strange, can change so easily… But regardless of I am still happy for such a beautiful afternoon yesterday! Tonight I am hitting the gym… thus far I’ve managed to run Monday and Tuesday so gym tonight. I’ve been waking up early each day this week thinking “I’m going running” but the morning is cold that I just jumped back to bed… ahhhh lazy… but I hope I will get this “running in the morning” routing in my system so I can really get back in shape to do more…
It has been a while since I wrote anything in my blog… but I don’t have much to write… sport related? Nothing… watching March Madness whenever I can especially that I don’t have a TV (can you believe that! Each night when I get to my apt feels like going to a sanctuary or church… silence…).
Most days I am just tired… the weather here is gloomy… rainy… and if it is sunny it is always windy and cold… People tell me “you are lucky! This winter was a mild one!” oh well yeah woopy! Who gives a shit what they tell me… what really matters to me is how it feels and to me it feels just like another shitty day.
I try to bring myself up and not be such an Eeyore (I’ve been compared to him way too many times) but it is hard you know…
This weekend was a mix of highs and lows… I finally decided to stop being in such a stage of “puff” and told myself “ok Monday you are getting up early like normal people do… up at 6:30 am and get out to run at least 30 min… then go to work and get there at 8:00 am like everyone does…” Well I actually woke-up at 6:30 am… I took a look outside the window and what did I see?? Shitty weather… gloomy, almost raining, people wearing heavy coats, and the wind blowing hard. What did I do? Jumped back to bed LOL.
The only good thing about this is that I actually got up at a normal time and got to work at 8:00 am, WOW LOL. Tonight I am going to the gym! I will try tomorrow to run… but it has been raining the whole day today and it is so cold… hopefully it won’t be like that tomorrow morning…
Most days I am just tired… the weather here is gloomy… rainy… and if it is sunny it is always windy and cold… People tell me “you are lucky! This winter was a mild one!” oh well yeah woopy! Who gives a shit what they tell me… what really matters to me is how it feels and to me it feels just like another shitty day.
I try to bring myself up and not be such an Eeyore (I’ve been compared to him way too many times) but it is hard you know…
This weekend was a mix of highs and lows… I finally decided to stop being in such a stage of “puff” and told myself “ok Monday you are getting up early like normal people do… up at 6:30 am and get out to run at least 30 min… then go to work and get there at 8:00 am like everyone does…” Well I actually woke-up at 6:30 am… I took a look outside the window and what did I see?? Shitty weather… gloomy, almost raining, people wearing heavy coats, and the wind blowing hard. What did I do? Jumped back to bed LOL.
The only good thing about this is that I actually got up at a normal time and got to work at 8:00 am, WOW LOL. Tonight I am going to the gym! I will try tomorrow to run… but it has been raining the whole day today and it is so cold… hopefully it won’t be like that tomorrow morning…
Since I moved here to Harrisburg there has been a constant: shitty weather. I think all my blogs since moving here have a mention of it… snow, freeze, and now rain… and more rain… until today. Today has been a beautiful day; the sun is out, the sky blue, but a little chilly and windy… but heck it is like paradise compared to the past weeks…
Last weekend I went to visit my friend Karen to her place at MA and the whole weekend was gloomy/grey and it seemed that whenever we headed out of her house it would start to rain… gosh!! Then back to Harrisburg and it was raining all the time.
All this weather didn’t help me with the moving… yes I am STILL in the moving process… I think this has been the most painful and dragging move I’ve ever had! Today I woke up hurting everywhere and with little sleep thanks to Faust never-ending meow, he was driving me crazy!! But well I can’t really get upset with him, it is a new place and it takes time (and furniture) to get used to… oh yeah I order my furniture yesterday, yay! I will FINALLY have a real bed =)
I’m tired… I’ll spend this holiday weekend cleaning, and cleaning, and more cleaning, and oh yeah cleaning more… the place really needs deep cleaning!!! But I am getting there in couple weeks the apartment should be the way I need/want it to be =)
Oh gosh just looking forward everything when this moving is finally done to get back to all my activities such as work-out, mtn biking, running and do some races!
Last weekend I went to visit my friend Karen to her place at MA and the whole weekend was gloomy/grey and it seemed that whenever we headed out of her house it would start to rain… gosh!! Then back to Harrisburg and it was raining all the time.
All this weather didn’t help me with the moving… yes I am STILL in the moving process… I think this has been the most painful and dragging move I’ve ever had! Today I woke up hurting everywhere and with little sleep thanks to Faust never-ending meow, he was driving me crazy!! But well I can’t really get upset with him, it is a new place and it takes time (and furniture) to get used to… oh yeah I order my furniture yesterday, yay! I will FINALLY have a real bed =)
I’m tired… I’ll spend this holiday weekend cleaning, and cleaning, and more cleaning, and oh yeah cleaning more… the place really needs deep cleaning!!! But I am getting there in couple weeks the apartment should be the way I need/want it to be =)
Oh gosh just looking forward everything when this moving is finally done to get back to all my activities such as work-out, mtn biking, running and do some races!
Last night while talking on the phone with Miss Karen she pointed out that I have a “photographic food mind” or something like that because it seems I’ve posted plenty of pictures of food in my blog.
I never had someone pointing that out and I never even thought about it! Therefore, today I went thru my blog and indeed I have a collection of food pictures LOL…
I think everyone has their own “thing” they like to take pictures of and I guess my “thing” is food.
I actually find food interesting, I love to eat but the most interesting aspect of it is and what attracts me is actually the amount of food that Americans serve/eat… gosh it is always the “extra-extra more in your plate for your money” deal.
I mean look at this breakfast (see picture above) this is the “Capitol Breakfast,” for $7.35 (plus taxes of course) you get the following:
I never had someone pointing that out and I never even thought about it! Therefore, today I went thru my blog and indeed I have a collection of food pictures LOL…
I think everyone has their own “thing” they like to take pictures of and I guess my “thing” is food.
I actually find food interesting, I love to eat but the most interesting aspect of it is and what attracts me is actually the amount of food that Americans serve/eat… gosh it is always the “extra-extra more in your plate for your money” deal.
I mean look at this breakfast (see picture above) this is the “Capitol Breakfast,” for $7.35 (plus taxes of course) you get the following:- 2 elephant eggs (LOL LOL the elephant is for the size not because they are elephant eggs LOL)
- Like a pound of home-fries (oh they were good!!!)
- A bunch of bacon strips
- 2 huge French toast
- Unlimited coffee
I guarantee you that breakfast was more than the 2000 calories daily “normal” intake! Of course, I ate almost all of it… you know wasting food is a sin LOL, but that was the meal of the day! I was not able to eat anything else! And that day (Sunday) I burned a lot of it by going 5 times up and down 41 steps to my apartment (I was moving boxes from the hotel to my new place which it is not ready yet… that’s another story…). I think most Americans eat that for breakfast and/or lunch and then have dinner and others might have some munchies too!
My work trainers always keep on talking about how come French people can eat all they eat and not be overweight… my co-worker, Sandrine (being French), explains that French people eat all the time… at least 4-5 times per day but in smaller amounts than Americans and in a little healthier way (even though Frenchies eat a good amount of cheese!)… So that might be the secret to not be overweight… who knows…
Meanwhile I will continue taking pictures of food/dishes that catch my attention… those that I can’t help to say “OMG what did I order???” LOL LOL LOL…
- Like a pound of home-fries (oh they were good!!!)
- A bunch of bacon strips
- 2 huge French toast
- Unlimited coffee
I guarantee you that breakfast was more than the 2000 calories daily “normal” intake! Of course, I ate almost all of it… you know wasting food is a sin LOL, but that was the meal of the day! I was not able to eat anything else! And that day (Sunday) I burned a lot of it by going 5 times up and down 41 steps to my apartment (I was moving boxes from the hotel to my new place which it is not ready yet… that’s another story…). I think most Americans eat that for breakfast and/or lunch and then have dinner and others might have some munchies too!
My work trainers always keep on talking about how come French people can eat all they eat and not be overweight… my co-worker, Sandrine (being French), explains that French people eat all the time… at least 4-5 times per day but in smaller amounts than Americans and in a little healthier way (even though Frenchies eat a good amount of cheese!)… So that might be the secret to not be overweight… who knows…
Meanwhile I will continue taking pictures of food/dishes that catch my attention… those that I can’t help to say “OMG what did I order???” LOL LOL LOL…
Last weekend I finally took my mtn bike for a ride or at least that was the thought! After getting some info from Jim about places to mtn bike I decided to just drive to Lickdale (lol lol what a name!) and ride in was what supposed to be some nice trails. Well as you might know I am directional challenged and I really never found the trails. However, I decided to park my car on a camping area and take off from there.
Saturday I did mostly what I call now “rural mtn biking” = ride your mtn bike on rural roads LOL. It was a different scene than the one I am used to… I went thru a lot of farms and saw plenty of dead animals on the side of the roads… making me think “Hmmm could I be the next one?” Then started to snow and got really windy… but I kept on going, I ended up doing over 2 hrs and some miles, I would have kept on going but it was getting dark and the snow was bad… I could see how bad I could be in a road bike meaning how fanatic I would be and maybe spend hrs and hrs riding… maybe it is not a good idea for me to get one!
Saturday I did mostly what I call now “rural mtn biking” = ride your mtn bike on rural roads LOL. It was a different scene than the one I am used to… I went thru a lot of farms and saw plenty of dead animals on the side of the roads… making me think “Hmmm could I be the next one?” Then started to snow and got really windy… but I kept on going, I ended up doing over 2 hrs and some miles, I would have kept on going but it was getting dark and the snow was bad… I could see how bad I could be in a road bike meaning how fanatic I would be and maybe spend hrs and hrs riding… maybe it is not a good idea for me to get one!
Sunday I went again to Lickdale and this time I found some trails. The whole time while I was riding I saw a lot of signs “No Trespassing” but well I kept on going I thought “they are not going to shoot me, nahh..?” Also, while I was riding I kept on hearing thunder thinking that it was going to rain soon… well I was with all these thoughts and I came across a knocked tree over the trail… I thought “I can jump that little thing” oh yeah sure… Prazzzz I crashed LOL LOL I am not going into details… just lets put it this way it was a stupid fall and I ended up with a beat up and cut right leg. Great crash! Oh and remember the thunder I was hearing? Monday I told my co-workers about my adventure during the weekend and they told me that the area in Lickdale I was biking is used for testing bombing and the thunder I was hearing was actually bombs LOL LOL…
Today I am picking up the keys of my apt! Yay! I’ll be cleaning the place and moving some of my stuff this weekend… I need to finally buy furniture; I don’t even have a bed! =)
Finally, today I received couple emails for some up coming running races. I am seriously thinking about doing the “double dare” one half marathon in May at MD and another half marathon in Oct also in MD… I think I have time to get ready for the one in May and definitely will be ready for Oct. I told my dearest friend Karen that I am going to start running in the mornings (especially now thanks to the location of my apartment) and working out at the gym in the evenings after work, she thought I was nuts. We shall see…
Well, back to work… till then keep on going!
Yay! I finally found someone that is a true mtn biker… Thank Goodness!!! I thought I was alone in this world LOL… He works in the same company I work but in another division and building… but we have been emailing each other and talking ever since one person “hooked” us up. He is my type of guy because he even does rides at night!!! YAY! That is so cool… he was telling me about his ride on the snow… another trip to Utah… etc… he pretty much does the same things I used to and has done the rides I want to (like Utah and Colorado).He gave me the Swatara State Park map with the mtn bike trails… If the weather is nice I am going this Saturday… you bet!!! I want to do some more training at the gym and some rides on my own and then join him and couple other guys that ride with him. I feel I am not in a good shape to even keep up with a grandma LOL and I have a little bit of pride when it comes to biking… so that’s why I want to train for a bit on my own.
Also, after hearing almost everyone telling me “get a road bike” I surrender! My new found mtn bike buddy, Jim, told me the same and he even does organized rides Saturdays and 2 times during the week… so there… I am getting a darn road bike. The good thing is that he told me he might be able to find me an used one… that is great! That’s the way to start in every sport… don’t go for the fancy expense brand new stuff, try the sport first with a used or ok bike and then as you progress and like it go for the upgrade… until you end up with a carbon frame super expensive bike =)
What else? Keep on gym training… 4 miles in 32 minutes (not bad)… doing free weights… trying to watch my diet (although I must say Harrisburg has the best French fries I’ve ever had in my life!!! The ones I’ve had are sooo crunchy and still soft inside… they are so good…ok ok enough… I need to stop eating fries!!!)… still searching for apartments… dealing with my relocation… getting headaches at work… etc, etc… pretty much same ole same ole…
Till then keep on snowing (pufffff)
A Pound of Fries, Apartments, The Ridge Cup, and Road Biking…
0 comments Posted by Yoshitoshi at 2:44 PM
Last night I had chicken wings in my mind… I am not a big wings eater or lover but my body was asking for really unhealthy food after going for couple weeks eating very healthy.Well I made sure I hit the gym hard and did 3.7 miles in 30 min! Then, I did a light shoulders work-out…after that, I deserved the wings and a pint of beer right? I started to drive around and I ended in a little bar and grill called “Underdog.” It looked like one of those places locals go… and when I walked in I was correct. The funniest thing is that I felt the whole bar turned around and stared at me, I believe this was a reaction to perhaps me being out of the local scene or (the biggest probability) was me wearing a University of Florida – Gators t-shirt LOL…
The wings were pretty good, garlic-hot, beer was a Stela Artois, and they gave me like a pound of curly fries that was amazing… but they were pretty good too! Overall, I will go there again, the prices were great, the service was good… big screens-TVs, the only part that I didn’t like was that it was a little too smoky for my taste… they should do the same like in FL where all places that serve food are not allowed to have smoke area inside.
So I’ve been looking for apartments to rent. I’m going to see one tonight and couple tomorrow… I hope to find a place by the end of this month-beginning of next one…
The 2008 Blue Ridge Cup is here! (http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/blueridgecup/BRC_Home.php) I am so excited! Another good excuse to get my butt out of the sofa and hit the gym-train hard! I am determinate to do a race every month… well at least the ones in VA-WVA because now it would be really hard to drive/travel all the way to NC-SC. I also want to finally run my first half marathon this year… maybe August in celebration of getting one year older (b-day).
Finally, I’ve been asking about mtn biking in PA and people just look at me like “oh poor thing”… everyone that I’ve talked to they tell me “you need to get a road bike”… I am not crazy at the idea of it, but it is looking like that might be a good probability plus other fellow mtn bikers have told me that road bike is a good cross training…
Well, going to the gym tonight again… I finally joined one and the way I see it (especially with my very crazy-busy personal life LOL – being sarcastic!-) I can go and work out almost everyday! Yay!
Till then keep on working out and eating a pound of fries! (nahh LOL).
I am finally in Harrisburg.
I left Asheville Saturday (it was such a beautiful day) around 6:30 pm and arrived to Harrisburg at 4:00 am Sunday. It was a long trip but I had fun!
Faust was a great little boy... although I had to stop every now and then to give him some love and pet him, making him feel that everything was ok...
Well, I went to sleep at 4:20 am and then woke-up around 9:15 am... when I looked outside the window there it was... snow... OMG! And not only that, the temperature was really low and super windy. When I was trying to move things out of my car I was feeling like the cold/wind were going thru my skin/muscles…
Anyways, so that has been pretty much the weather here... cold, windy, and snowy...
Today is the second day I've spent it at the hotel room because I caught the cold/flu that is going around... I am feeling sick, tired, beat-up... I am staying in, resting, drinking liquids and hopefully after hibernating this weekend I'll be all ready to go next week.
Mtn biking and running... well will need to wait until I am better. I'm looking for a gym around and for a mtn bike group (a friend I recently made that lives here in Harrisburg told me about a mtn bike group so she is going to send me the info)...
Till then keep on hopefully getting better and fight this darn flu!
I left Asheville Saturday (it was such a beautiful day) around 6:30 pm and arrived to Harrisburg at 4:00 am Sunday. It was a long trip but I had fun!
Faust was a great little boy... although I had to stop every now and then to give him some love and pet him, making him feel that everything was ok...
Well, I went to sleep at 4:20 am and then woke-up around 9:15 am... when I looked outside the window there it was... snow... OMG! And not only that, the temperature was really low and super windy. When I was trying to move things out of my car I was feeling like the cold/wind were going thru my skin/muscles…
Anyways, so that has been pretty much the weather here... cold, windy, and snowy...
Today is the second day I've spent it at the hotel room because I caught the cold/flu that is going around... I am feeling sick, tired, beat-up... I am staying in, resting, drinking liquids and hopefully after hibernating this weekend I'll be all ready to go next week.
Mtn biking and running... well will need to wait until I am better. I'm looking for a gym around and for a mtn bike group (a friend I recently made that lives here in Harrisburg told me about a mtn bike group so she is going to send me the info)...
Till then keep on hopefully getting better and fight this darn flu!
I can’t believe how much crap I have now that I am packing and preparing to departure for good to Harrisburg.This whole week I’ve been moving things, packing, sorting, and just trying to figure out how in the heck I ended up with more things that I thought I had. I can’t believe how many glasses I have, really!!! I have three sets of wine glasses, two of water glasses, one set just for cappuccino (like if I drink that many!), one for regular coffee, one for beer…
And Gosh I must have been in the mood for Thai food one day that I went shopping at the market LOL, I have like ten boxes of Thai noodles and sauces, beans… 10 cans of all kind of different beans plus couple bags of beans LOL LOL… And to my disbelieve I found out that I ate way too much take-out Chinese food when I counted the fortune cookies I have… I am not even going to write the number because I feel a little embarrassed LOL.
With all the moving you start to find places that maybe, without any initial harm, you might have created a little hole and now you would like to fix so hopefully you can get your full deposit back.
I consider myself a not at all handy person… not that I am lazy it is that it is not in my veins to pick up a hammer and fix stuff… I prefer to pay someone to do things and do them right the first time. I know if I try to do it I’ll spend more time and money! Still, I decided to “fix” a hole I made when I was trying to put a bar to hang clothes (one of the few “home improvement” projects I took on LOL). As you can see it is not the prettiest thing isn’t it? LOL I guess that really reaffirms that I am not into fixing things…
Where is my friend Karen (oh yeah in Mass LOL) or Caryn (oh yeah working some weird schedules) or Jeff (oh yeah wooing some ladies) when I need them LOL they are the ones who tell me they are into home improvement and can fix it all… Oh well… Keep on packing!
Soooooo… just like the title says I didn’t do the race. How come? I arrived really late or if you want to see it this way really early Saturday… I’ve got back to my place at 1ish am and finally went to bed at 2ish am…I set up all the alarms I could so I would get up in time to go to the race… but I never heard them… I was supposed to be up at 9 am in order to be on time at the race but when I woke up it was 10:20 Ops!
I was not upset… I mean maybe I was pushing myself a little too much by trying to do a race the day after coming back from a hectic trip (let’s put it this way I will try to avoid as much as possible any flight connection to Charlotte’s airport!! And when I am carrying Faust –my cat- with me!).
Still, I went ahead with the plan of mtn biking. Got everything ready and left to Fontana… it was a 2 hrs drive (160 miles round trip) so I could bike Tsali’s trails… It was such a perfect day! The weather was perfect: 60ish, blue skies, not a lot of people around… I was sooo happy to be back mtn biking.
I did both loops – Mouse Branch first = 8.7 miles and then Thompson Loop = 7.3 miles. I haven’t been to Tsali in almost 7-8 months! Ahh it was really nice… and it was really especial to be back alone just to think about life, the way things are unraveling now with my career… and life… I think everything really happens for a reason and thus far for good reasons (at least in my case). I am very blessed!
At the end I did more miles than what I signed up for the race, race = 7-14 miles.
I’m planning on doing some mtn biking this week but it has been raining… I also want to do some trail running… I hope the weather gets better.
Till then keep on biking!!!
Pst: Not the best pic of Tsali but I forgot about taking a pic until the end... so it happened to be where there were not too many trees LOL duh LOL.
Since I've been at Harrisburg PA I haven't been doing much of training/working out... Well that has been changing since last week and since my race is in couple days I knew I needed to get to some "shape" once again.
Therefore, I've been going to the gym doing some good cardio and weights, mostly focusing on my legs. It really feels good to be back at the gym and working out... getting all out... the good and the bad, it just makes me feel better.
Tomorrow I'm leaving to go back to "Ashevegas"... I am looking forward it but at the same time I feel strange to leave Harrisburg... it feels like this is already home to me. Well I'll be back in a week or two it is strange how quickly I can get used to a new place.
Anyways, looking forward my race on Saturday and doing some mtn biking while I am at Asheville. I am also looking forward seeing people at church on Sunday, my "Unitarian Young Adults" they said they are waiting for me... that was nice to know!
I'll post pics from my race... also I am happy to know that some of my fellow Pisgah SORBA members are going to be there, YAYIE!
I’ve signed up for my first race of 2008 = ICYCLE on Saturday, Feb 2 at Fontana Village; that’s about 30-40 min from Asheville… I think… I haven’t been there in a while!
I’m very excited and concerned at the same time because I haven’t been doing any mtn biking in a while. The last time mtn biking was about two weeks ago when I had the infamous “best crash of the year.” Also, I am sure it is going to be cold, snowy, and icy.
Moreover, the date will be the next day after I return from Harrisburg, PA. In fact, my plane is scheduled to land at 12:10 am that Saturday; the good thing is that the race starts at 12:10 pm so that should give me enough time to sleep and get ready for the race.
Let’s see how that goes… I just really didn’t want to miss the chance to do the first race of the year round Western North Carolina and especially that I don’t know if I’ll be able to do much racing this year…
Till then keep on pedaling!
This is a really funny picture of moi some weeks ago when I went out with the “gang”… I jumped from far away all the way to the stage while this rock band was playing… it was fun… it reminded me of the “ole” days of my “career” as a high jumper. Yes, I used to be a high jumper-triple jumper-hurdles runner, etc; believe it or not!
Oh yeah this is a picture of that night with the “gang”… my new friends and sort of my “city family” as we all are new to the area, around the same age, and in the same project that brought us here (well except Anibal he already lived here).
Oh yeah this is a picture of that night with the “gang”… my new friends and sort of my “city family” as we all are new to the area, around the same age, and in the same project that brought us here (well except Anibal he already lived here).
Get back to where you once belonged… “Get Back by The Beatles”
I need to get back to the life I once knew and kept me “sane”… no mtn biking here, but perhaps that’s because I haven’t been looking… I haven’t been running/trail running because perhaps I haven’t been really looking… I haven’t been working out as I should because perhaps I have been making excuses for it?
And all the consequences? I see and feel the changes in my body… and in some ways the same in my mind/attitude…
Sports = mtn biking and trail running became my church and religion… I need to get back… get back to where I once belonged… Get back… get back…
I need to get back to the life I once knew and kept me “sane”… no mtn biking here, but perhaps that’s because I haven’t been looking… I haven’t been running/trail running because perhaps I haven’t been really looking… I haven’t been working out as I should because perhaps I have been making excuses for it?
And all the consequences? I see and feel the changes in my body… and in some ways the same in my mind/attitude…
Sports = mtn biking and trail running became my church and religion… I need to get back… get back to where I once belonged… Get back… get back…
For best mtn biking fall thus far in my semi-self-indulging pain wanna be mtn biker career goes to: Jan 19 at 12ish pm at Bent Creek’s in one of the darn frozen bridges at Explore Loop (or maybe was Pine Tree Loop right before you make it to Explore…).
It was a cold gloomy Saturday in the 30’s with chances of snow but that was not going to stop us, I mean I’ve ridden when it was in the upper 10’s the only part I had never done was riding on the snow, also my friend Karen came all the way from Massachusetts to ride so I was not going to let that opportunity go away, right?… This reminds me that that was her first time also riding on the snow so I guess we both lost our “mtn biking on the snow” virginity LOL.
Anyways, my friend Karen and moi went to pick up her rental bike near the entrance of Pisgah. I thought about riding DuPont because it is such a spectacular place but with the snow that had fallen the prior days and the cold weather I didn’t think that would be a wise decision especially for someone out of town (Karen)… DuPont is technical and slippery by default now imagine how it could be under the conditions we were facing Saturday…
Well I took her to Bent Creek (yes I know… BC… but hey that’s always a good place to go regardless of the weather conditions) and my idea was to go from Pinnacle Rice parking to Wolf Branch to Ingles Gap to Five Points to 2 options: Hickory Gap-Side Hill or Greens Lick to Lower Sidehill to around the lake to Pine Tree Loop to Hardtimes Connector back to the parking lot. After we did half of Wolf Branch (when you can turn right to Ledford Branch) it was just way too muggy-slushy and not a good sign for continuing with my plan especially that I know the trails I wanted to go by now would be almost destroyed.
I took Karen to Ledford Branch went back to the parking and took the Hardtimes Connector to Pine Loop to Explore… I was going to pass over a bridge and I did a really back corner… frozen bridge… going perhaps a little too fast… etc etc… and frazzzz I felt into the creek which it had some nice size rocks LOL… according to Karen it was a 7 foot fall… well this is the first time I’ve made something similar to a scream before falling LOL…
It was a cold gloomy Saturday in the 30’s with chances of snow but that was not going to stop us, I mean I’ve ridden when it was in the upper 10’s the only part I had never done was riding on the snow, also my friend Karen came all the way from Massachusetts to ride so I was not going to let that opportunity go away, right?… This reminds me that that was her first time also riding on the snow so I guess we both lost our “mtn biking on the snow” virginity LOL.
Anyways, my friend Karen and moi went to pick up her rental bike near the entrance of Pisgah. I thought about riding DuPont because it is such a spectacular place but with the snow that had fallen the prior days and the cold weather I didn’t think that would be a wise decision especially for someone out of town (Karen)… DuPont is technical and slippery by default now imagine how it could be under the conditions we were facing Saturday…
Well I took her to Bent Creek (yes I know… BC… but hey that’s always a good place to go regardless of the weather conditions) and my idea was to go from Pinnacle Rice parking to Wolf Branch to Ingles Gap to Five Points to 2 options: Hickory Gap-Side Hill or Greens Lick to Lower Sidehill to around the lake to Pine Tree Loop to Hardtimes Connector back to the parking lot. After we did half of Wolf Branch (when you can turn right to Ledford Branch) it was just way too muggy-slushy and not a good sign for continuing with my plan especially that I know the trails I wanted to go by now would be almost destroyed.
I took Karen to Ledford Branch went back to the parking and took the Hardtimes Connector to Pine Loop to Explore… I was going to pass over a bridge and I did a really back corner… frozen bridge… going perhaps a little too fast… etc etc… and frazzzz I felt into the creek which it had some nice size rocks LOL… according to Karen it was a 7 foot fall… well this is the first time I’ve made something similar to a scream before falling LOL…
So there I was in the creek all wet and trying to catch my breath (I got my wind knocked out). I must say it was a good fall! LOL now I have some really nice bruises and a little cut on the elbow but other than that everything is ok (see pics). I am so proud of myself because guess what??? I was able to unclip right before my fall LOL LOL that is a HUGE step for me LOL. My poor friend Karen freaked out I felt so bad for her… but I just got up and we kept on biking our way back to the parking lot, she couldn’t believe I wanted to continue biking but you know me… unless something is really broken I keep on going =) (oh yeah later that afternoon we saw my friend Jenn and she confirmed to Karen that I am sort of a bad ass and even if I fall I keep on going LOL that made Karen feel better LOL).
I had such a great weekend… one of the best I’ve had in a long time even with the crash… too bad it came to an end so fast and I had to come back to Harrisburg…
I’ll try to bring my mtn bike next time I go to Asheville… I’ve heard there are some good trails around here especially in Lancaster.
I had such a great weekend… one of the best I’ve had in a long time even with the crash… too bad it came to an end so fast and I had to come back to Harrisburg…
I’ll try to bring my mtn bike next time I go to Asheville… I’ve heard there are some good trails around here especially in Lancaster.
It is finally snowing here at Harrisburg. Great, couple days before I leave for Asheville there is this "snow storm" coming by... advisories pretty much for the whole East... but I think everything is going to be fine.
And I can't wait to go mtn biking Saturday...
This is my semi-view from outside my apt-room at the hotel...
I’m back for some blogging… I’ve become a bad blogger for I am not doing it as much as I used to or should… but perhaps it is because I don’t have much to blog? I am here in the “not so frozen north” in constant training, so I haven’t had time to do much of any sport activity especially mtn biking.
As you could imagine I missed the Disney Half-Marathon, what a shame! =( It is not that I’ve been training like crazy and felt I was prepared for it (oh nooo I was actually very much concerned that they might have kicked me out of the race because you have to do each mile in Mmm I think 11 minutes) the shame comes in the fact that I paid more than $100 to be part of it! And I didn’t even get my darn t-shirt!!! LOL Oh well… this year should be full of new races and I should be able to finally do my first half.
This week I went back to the gym and I am feeling really happy! My back was killing me because of sitting all the time at my new job/training… Also, I haven’t been keeping a “healthy” diet (it is always difficult to do so when you are traveling) and when I weighted myself at the gym I almost screamed LOL, let’s put it this way… I haven’t been this weight since about two years ago when I was working full time and going to school for my MBA and; therefore, I was not doing any exercises… I really need to loose 10 pounds. Yeah yeah people tell me “but you look fine… where is the weight going?” well I don’t know, to my behind perhads!? LOL And I really don’t care if I look fine to people… I don’t look fine to me by my standards of moi so there! LOL, I’m going to start eating salads at least for lunch =)
What else? Oh going “home” to Asheville this weekend. Yay! I’m going to meet a new friend (I am very excited about it) and we’ll go mtn biking…. Yay! You might say “but it might be too cold” so? There is never too cool weather to mtn bike LOL really… I mean this is one of those sports you can do under any weather condition… it can be hot, rainy, cold, snowing… you can keep on going so I am very excited to be back for a weekend, it should be a good/nice experience =)
That’s all I have to say for now. I’ll post more as I know after this weekend of mtn biking I’ll have more adventures to share.
Till then keep on working out (just like I need to) and keep on biking (those of you who can... lucky you! I am jealous!!!)
As you could imagine I missed the Disney Half-Marathon, what a shame! =( It is not that I’ve been training like crazy and felt I was prepared for it (oh nooo I was actually very much concerned that they might have kicked me out of the race because you have to do each mile in Mmm I think 11 minutes) the shame comes in the fact that I paid more than $100 to be part of it! And I didn’t even get my darn t-shirt!!! LOL Oh well… this year should be full of new races and I should be able to finally do my first half.
This week I went back to the gym and I am feeling really happy! My back was killing me because of sitting all the time at my new job/training… Also, I haven’t been keeping a “healthy” diet (it is always difficult to do so when you are traveling) and when I weighted myself at the gym I almost screamed LOL, let’s put it this way… I haven’t been this weight since about two years ago when I was working full time and going to school for my MBA and; therefore, I was not doing any exercises… I really need to loose 10 pounds. Yeah yeah people tell me “but you look fine… where is the weight going?” well I don’t know, to my behind perhads!? LOL And I really don’t care if I look fine to people… I don’t look fine to me by my standards of moi so there! LOL, I’m going to start eating salads at least for lunch =)
What else? Oh going “home” to Asheville this weekend. Yay! I’m going to meet a new friend (I am very excited about it) and we’ll go mtn biking…. Yay! You might say “but it might be too cold” so? There is never too cool weather to mtn bike LOL really… I mean this is one of those sports you can do under any weather condition… it can be hot, rainy, cold, snowing… you can keep on going so I am very excited to be back for a weekend, it should be a good/nice experience =)
That’s all I have to say for now. I’ll post more as I know after this weekend of mtn biking I’ll have more adventures to share.
Till then keep on working out (just like I need to) and keep on biking (those of you who can... lucky you! I am jealous!!!)
LOL LOL LOL the nose job is a joke just a way to get your attention.. gotcha! LOL LOL
SO Hello my friends!!! I am back! It has been a while since my last posting. It has been sort of hectic.
At this moment I am at Harrisburg at a place I have zero knowledge of in a new position that I have zero knowledge of things LOL it is like when people talk sounds like a foreign language LOL but I know I'll do well...
Here I am stuck in a hotel... with Faust (my cat)... every night 7 pm feel like 10 pm... can't wait for the weekend to come and go into an expedition to Downtown... see the area... go to Hershey (the UN of chocolates, I mean c'mon Hershey Kisses are the UN of chocolates because you have so much variety = dark, milk, mint, almond, caramel, etc and all live under the same roof in perfect love and harmony LOL)...
I am very excited about this New Year. I know there are so many opportunities for me not only at my career but in my personal life... new and more friends to make... new people I'll meet... a new chapter in my life... how cool is that?
Plus new places to explore for hiking/biking... more races... more and more and more...
Yay!
SO Hello my friends!!! I am back! It has been a while since my last posting. It has been sort of hectic.
At this moment I am at Harrisburg at a place I have zero knowledge of in a new position that I have zero knowledge of things LOL it is like when people talk sounds like a foreign language LOL but I know I'll do well...
Here I am stuck in a hotel... with Faust (my cat)... every night 7 pm feel like 10 pm... can't wait for the weekend to come and go into an expedition to Downtown... see the area... go to Hershey (the UN of chocolates, I mean c'mon Hershey Kisses are the UN of chocolates because you have so much variety = dark, milk, mint, almond, caramel, etc and all live under the same roof in perfect love and harmony LOL)...
I am very excited about this New Year. I know there are so many opportunities for me not only at my career but in my personal life... new and more friends to make... new people I'll meet... a new chapter in my life... how cool is that?
Plus new places to explore for hiking/biking... more races... more and more and more...
Yay!
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