Snow Day

Yesterday: Gorgeous day. In the 30s, dry roads, hardly any wind. Perfect for a 20 mile ride on Hines.

Today: I just stuck a ruler in the snow in a spot on the driveway where there was no snow yesterday. I measure 6.5" and it is still coming. Big, fluffy, gorgeous flakes. And I don't go to the office on Mondays, so how does one spend the day?

5 am: M says, "Hey, there is some snow out there." I say, "I'm sleeping..." and a cat curls up next to me.

8:30 am: I say, "Hey, there is some snow out there," and a cat yowls at me to be fed.

8:45 am: Check phone - no text saying school is closed. But class is not until tonight, so there is time.

9 am: Call mom to make sure she still wants me to come over and paint since she has a snow day. She says sure. Decide to quickly pop some soup in the slow cooker before leaving.

10:15 am: While chopping soup items, call mom back to say there are giant flakes still coming so might be better to stay home. She agrees. Decide to clean the house.

11:15 am: Well, since I am finished with the important tasks of checking email and updating Facebook while fending off cats who want to rub their heads against the laptop (what is the appeal?), I may as well head to Starbucks to fortify myself for the cleaning ahead.

11:45: Mocha obtained. Roads really don't seem too bad.

Noon: Call M. Goes like this.

Me: Guess where I am?
M: Your mom's?
Me: No
M: The hospital?
Me: No (???)
Me again: I am where the chipmunks live. (This cute little spot under a bending tree near the edge of the driveway)
M: What are you doing there?
Me: Well, June (my car) is there too and she is sideways.
M: What? Don't mess up the ivy!

I decide that it is not the best time for a botany lesson, but I assure you, I was not messing up any ivy since there is only myrtle under that tree. And that stuff is not going to be bothered by a little Mazda3 parked in the middle of it.

1 pm: Having successfully scrubbed the sink, stove and broiler, I decide to celebrate with a burger and some baked sweet potato fries.

1:30 pm: Guess what - the smoke alarms still work...

2 pm: I was thinking of shredding some old papers, but I am a little scared to try to work the shredder. Considering my track record so far today...

Training Report
Not much training at all last week. Lots of school due to make up for previous snow day. But a lovely 20 mile ride on the tandem yesterday. So very, very lovely. You all should have been there!

And the grand total is...

For the past few years, M and I have been doing a Valentine's weekend fundraiser at Emagine Theater in Novi. We set up a table in the lobby and sell heart-shaped and glow-in-the-dark mardi gras style beads for $1 donation to TNT.

Back in 2005, we did pretty good.

This time, well the haul for the weekend was over $1700.

We had some help from two fabulous TNT participants: Heather, who is training for her first half Ironman and Kit, who is doing S2P with us. Yeah all of us!

BTW - If you haven't been there, Emagine Novi is a pretty cool place to see a movie. And not just because everyone there knows us. The theater is really nice with luxury seating options and quiet crowds while watching. Also, they have a bar in the theater. Yep, all the bartenders know us too.

Workout Summary
P had the day off and I don't work on Monday. Perfect! We could go try this yoga class in Northville at 8:15. We made an early morning plan and actually made it there in time. But as we approached, it didn't really look so open. Shouldn't there be some lights? Or some people? Maybe some chanting? Nope - dark, empty and totally closed. In protest, I say, "Look there is a sign right here saying class on Monday at 8:15." P says, "Um, pm?" Yep, they have yoga on Tues and Thurs in the morning and Monday in the EVENING!

We went back to her house and did her energizing yoga DVD. But she decided it wasn't enough and made me do the Jillian 30 day shred. Which just hurts. I think it was punishment for making her get up on her day off for imaginary yoga.

Then we went and tried on wedding dresses. Which was a whole different kind of workout.

The training begins...

So yesterday, M says," Are we riding the tandem on Hines tomorrow?" I temporarily lose touch with reality and reply, "Sure."

M calls Daniel and they agree to meet at the bike shop at 9 a.m. Somehow, I imagine they are agreeing that it is cold out and that it is not a good idea to ride.

I set my alarm for 7:30. I immediately turn it off. I assume M didn't notice and...nope too late. He is up and perky and all ready to ride. I try to use the "this cat is sitting on me and I can't get out from under him" excuse, but it doesn't fly. Crap!

I will spare you my stalling and inability to find my winter riding stuff. Two winters ago, we rode every weekend that the roads were safe. Less last winter due to weather - the tandem is on skinny tires and does not play nice in snow. This year, well, the rack was still on the back from our Livestrong ride in Austin last October. Suffice to say, we made it there 15 minutes late and D was, full face helmet and goggles, all ready to go.

Eighteen miles later, I was very glad we went. I'd do it again in a second. There really is nothing like road riding in the winter, provided you are dressed well. Aside from the occasional runner, we were the only brave warriors, battling the elements (well, one element - wind - but it was pure evil) until the end when another group of bikers went by on the other side, merrily waving. See, I am not the only crazy one!

Training for Seattle to Portland has officially begun:

Sat 2/6: Fabulous indoor trainer ride at the more reasonable hour of 8 a.m.

Weds 2/10: Snow Day! Spin at Beverly Hills Club. I usually have class, but what fun to have a snow day on spin day.

Sat 2/13: Spin at Continental - 7 a.m. It wasn't pretty, but I somehow managed to arrive and make my legs go around. Pretty much ignored coach Steve and just cruised, waiting for see if I would wake up anytime soon. Let's call it a recovery ride and leave it at that. I just don't do mornings!

This weekend has been full of fundraising, but got to wait until tonight for the total...

My plan

I go to school three nights week. Web and graphic design stuff. Class is from 7:15 - 10 pm. I don't get home until 10:45ish. Two of those days, I have already been at work since 8:30 am. And in spring, I begin classes for my MBA. Know why? The obvious answer would be that I was downsized, from a career that was fading quickly anyway, so I need to upgrade my skills to remain employable. That is painfully true. Remind me to tell you the story sometime. But it's not just that.

I was driving to class on Monday and something hit me: all of the sudden, I felt really happy. Now if you know me, you also know that I usually maintain a rather high level of optimism. Sort of like I am floating around on my own little pink cloud of delight. Heck, if I am having a bad day, inside I am thinking, "This is useful. Now I will enjoy the good days even more." I truly appreciate this miracle of body chemistry that allows me to look on the bright side of practically anything. This was more than just regular happiness. It was like bubbling joy all inside of me, but not even like that at all. And it seemed to be related to the fact that I was driving to school.

I did a little analysis as to what was up with this feeling. Because M-10, the concrete gully, is really boring for driving - especially when dark out - so I had the time. Here is what I concluded:

I was finally taking back control of my destiny.

For the past few years, my work situation had been getting less enjoyable. I really do love the concept of what I did, but in practice it was no longer the same job that I had signed on to do. Partially due to technology taking away a good portion of the creativity and knowledge required to get the job done. Partially due to reduced budgets, tighter deadlines and, my opinion, a willingness to settle for "ok" if it came fast and cheap. And finally, most recently, due to just getting stuck with some cr*p clients that showed no respect for anyone. I had stopped making plans during the week and people just had to understand that I could not be counted on to show up anywhere but work. Then suddenly, it was all gone.

And now I am in uncharted territory. But making my own choices. And loving it.

For years I have talked about, thought about, even researched, getting my MBA. Something always came up. More often than not, it was that I couldn't guarantee I could leave work to get to class with any regularity. I didn't want to waste my money to be "that person" who never made it to class and always had to reschedule project meetings. It was an excuse, I know, but a pretty darn valid one. One that crushed down on me and didn't let me see out from under it. Now, no excuses and no desire to look for them.

I am well aware that I am fortunate. Not many people have the opportunity and support system to work a lower-paying, part-time job that they love, that lets them feel like they are doing something positive and allows them to go back to school full time. I don't know how long it will last. We had been making conservative financial decisions, never really expecting it would happen but aware of the direction things were going - still I foresee a pile of student loans looming in my future. A really big pile! With no promise that anything will come of it. Except that big bubble of unexplainable happiness.

Now it is time to go chase a dream. Because reality is crashing down around us in a not very pretty manner. And this state needs to reinvent itself, one person, one plan, at a time. This is my plan. I don't yet know where it ends, but I can see far enough that I like the direction.