Sunday, January 31, 2010

AIRROSITI

Done proud of myself. Four weeks of bike riding and I have been consistent with my training. Well, except for the knee. My bum knee started up again because I had this great idea to work out harder on the weights. Thursday, I woke up with too much pain in the knee to actually ride. Ended up stretching and icing, but it didn’t really help.

There were some ladies at the gym talking about this new rapid recovery treatment, the name is: AIRROSITI. I wish I could tell you what the name stands for but it appears like there is no official definition included in the many papers they handed me. My description is it is like a deep tissue massage but 50% more deep. The concept is that it gets the kinks out of the muscle and relieves pain. Basically, it hurts a lot. I’m talkin’ bout lots of hurt while they do the treatment.

So far, so good. I spent the weekend doing what I normally do. My knee doesn’t hurt but my hammie is sore from the pressure. I will test it out through the week but my expectations are high and expect to be back normal real soon. Well, “normal” I will never be but I hope to get close to it.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Michael

My oldest and only nephew Michael moved back in with him mother. He spent his high school years living with his father. He needed that, especially during those days where a father figure is needed most as a role model. These days, Mike is in college.

His mother, my sister Angela, lives next door to me. Lucky me (and I do not type that with sarcasm) I get to see Mike and my nieces most days.

Yesterday was no different. Expecting just Mike to come over to use my internet connection, he brought the girls too.

It was sudden madness.

Roxy was barking. When Kris wasn’t sitting reading a book, she was balancing delicately on my whicker chest. She walked around proudly in her cheerleading shorts three hours before gymnastics practice. After Alexis and I finished her math homework, she started riding my bike. (I keep it sitting on the trainer in the kitchen.) Then both the girls were riding my bike at the same time. Kris laid her belly on the bike seat and was flying.

Yeah, I want to be the “cool Aunt” but I had to draw the line. That’s my bike and I do not want it damaged or them in the emergency room. How would I explain that to their mom? Part of me wanted to take a picture of them but the rational side of me thought that I should not encourage their behavior.

As quickly as the madness started, it was swept away as they run out my front door.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Friends?

Lord, HELP ME!

You may have picked this up from my previous posts, but I have been divorced for six years. My ex and I have remained friends, or somewhat friends and were speaking every now and again. The conversations were more about me being his friend them him being mine. It was a hard break up because we were together for nine years and it hard to let go of him while we watched the other grow professional, individually, and spiritually.

Not long ago, my ex and I got in an argument. We were yelling at each other, over the phone, about something that happened SIX years ago. So, I am mad at him and do not want to talk to him. I am not ready to be friends again. (Yes, I know. This sounds ridiculous but he did something REALLY bad and hurtful to me.)

And then today….. I found him on Facebook. Do I want him to be my friend? Should I wait for him to find me? He has the link to this blog but I do not believe he reads it. On Facebook, he can really know every detail of my life. I think I am not ready to be friends again.

And then… I read my horoscope. It is the one posted on msnbc.com, under the entertainment section. Ya know, because it’s just entertainment. Right?

This is what it reads for today:

It's time to make up, mend fences and break bread. Whatever you want to call it, be sure you do it. This minor dispute has been going on for long enough, hasn't it? Now it's time to do the adult thing and put it to rest. The heavens are in the perfect frame of mind to help you out, and your place would definitely be the best venue for the event. Ready? Now grab that phone and start dialing.

I can’t do it. I can’t call. I am not ready to be friends again. No matter what my horriblescope says.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Slump

These days I seem to be in slump with my blog posts and the subject of each post. Leigh, my friend over at Leigh vs. Laundry, introduced me to a new world of blogging. These ladies and gentlemen are true writers and left me feeling inadequate. My life does not seem exciting or maybe it is my writing that does not articulate my world in an interesting or comical fashion.

It might be that things are going well with nothing new to report.

Last week, I told my Mom that things were going wonderfully that I afraid something bad was going to happen. It is the way of life. For every positive there is a negative. Don’t get me wrong, I do NOT want anything bad to happen but things are going so smooth that it is almost unbelievable.

Training is on progress. This is the fourth week of 5AM bike rids on my trainer. Roxy started waking up with me and lies next to me or stands next to me as if she is coaching me. There are days when I am too tired to make myself dinner or drive myself to pick something up. I end up not eating or eating poorly. Luckily for chocolate milk, I can recover quickly.

They say that practice makes perfect. So, I continue to practice blogging, building relationships, and getting my miles.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Barbara Ann

People often ask me if “Barbie” is my real name. My given name is Barbara Ann. I joke saying that my parents are Beach Boy fans.

Actually, my mother wanted to name me Brenda. However, there is no Spanish translation for Brenda. Since both my grandparent’s first language was Spanish, my parents wanted a name that would be easy for Spanish speakers to say. That is how Barbara came about.

It turns out that my grandfather, on my father side, called me Debra for two years, until he passed away. To this day, my mom says they should have left my name as Brenda.

Curiously, I asked my mom why they started calling me Barbie. There was nothing I did or nothing I said that made them call me Barbie. It just always was. As a baby, my parents called me Barbie.

Barbie stuck through elementary school. In middle school, I wanted to sound grown up and insisted that people called me Barbara. By high school, my friends would come to my house to hear my parents call me Barbie. It’s been Barbie since.

I can’t figure out why most guys like to call me Barb. They just keep shortening my name. I tell them the story about how Barb makes me feel old because it was the name of a school friend’s grandmother. A few people will stick with Barbie or Barbara but there are others that still call me Barb. I can name these people on one hand. I let them slide.

My friends and family call me Barbie. They say the name fits me.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Yoga

It’s been about two years since I started practicing yoga. At the beginning, I never really like it but forced myself to go so I could stretch. After all, I never stretch after bike rides or work outs.

About three months ago, I started going to the 1PM yoga class here at USAA. Connie teaches and she is amazing. She has gotten me to bend and fold into new posses that I would have never imagined before.

Another reason why I enjoy yoga so much is because it is not competitive. It is what you can do for that day. Every day is different. You accept the day for what it is and appreciate what you can do, for that moment. If you are practicing yoga, you are doing yoga.

Leave it to me to make yoga competitive. I find myself looking around the room to see how flexible everyone else in the room is. This so goes against all the principles of yoga. I look around any way. I get mad at myself when other people can cross their legs and place them on top of the other. My hips are too stiff and my legs don’t do this. On the other hand, I have crow down packed! I amaze myself when I end up with bruises on my triceps from balancing my knees on my arms.

These days my body is sore. Workouts two times a day, hurts my body. Yoga is getting harder. I don’t know if it is my body or if it is Connie pushing me to get better each time I practice.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Vegas Trip

To sum up the trip, Rob really loves to gamble. He told me that he liked to gamble, but really, he LOVES to gamble. All those “going out cloths” that I packed, stayed packed. That shopping I was planning on, didn’t happen. There was one day that we didn’t even see the light of day.

Seriously, I don’t get the addiction. Yea, you can win big but you have to try a bunch of times before you do. I would rather buy something and have something to hold in my hands then blow away money on nothing. I take that back, you pay money to sit in a smoke filled room making small talk with drunken strangers.

The highlight of the trip was the visit to Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. This pawn shop is featured on the History channel and the show is named “Pawn Star”. Well, I am totally into the show and we visited while they were filming. My pony tail or back may end up in the show. If you watch the show, keep your eyes out for a guy selling a photo album.

Next time I will plan the trip better. Either not go or plan to bike the entire time.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Sin City

We are off to Sin City… I will be taking my new netbook to stay connected to my internet friends but hopefully I will be enjoying my vacation too much to post updates until next week.

I am proud to say that my training has rolled over into this week and I will have three days of forty-five minute trainer workouts. Of course I won’t exercise while on vacation. This is a real vacation. No riding or hiking on this trip. I am not even going to pack workout cloths.

Thanks for the message, Edward. Let’s not let the cat out of the bag on mountain biking- to Robert that is. According to the guys at the shop, his cross trail has just enough to accept a mountain biking challenge if one is thrown his way. (Robert doesn’t really keep up with the blog so it is safe to post this. Unless of course, I e-mail him a post that I want him to read.)

Right now I don’t get many posted comments but I know you’re still out there reading because I do get messages or verbal comments. I love that so I keep posting.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Excitement

You would think that after ten years of bike riding that I would eventually get bored of it. It is not happening. If anything, I get more excited about bike rides.

I have been waking up at 5AM to sit on my bike that sits on a trainer that sits in my kitchen- and I STILL get excited. I wake up at least two or three times a night wondering when my alarm clock is going to go off, just so I can ride my bike.

I have tried taking sleeping pills so that I can sleep through the night but it doesn’t work. I still wake up thinking about my bike.

Once on my bike, I turn up the music and get into my zone. It feels like I am on the road. It is my meditation for the day. I clear my mind and resolve the troubles of the world.

Some call me crazy; others say that I am obsessed. I call it love.

Last night I had a dream that I was on the CrossRoads tour, riding across America. The group consisted of the reality show stars from “Jersey Shores”. After our rides, we would hang out, go do our nails, sit in a tanning salon, and then go shopping. You can say I live, breath, and sleep bike riding.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Bike Talk

Over the past couple of months, Robert has been talking about getting a mountain bike. I was thinking, how the heck is he going to squeeze into his hectic schedule time for mountain biking. As it is, he juggles racquetball, scooter rides, rode rides and nights out dancing. Where was he going to find the time?

Saturday, he went to the Ride Away bike shop without me. A late night tracking down a broken hearted drunk friend kept us up until 3AM. (That’s a blog for another time.) Needless to say, mistake number one was sending him to the shop with his buddy. Robert said the shop guys were asking for me. It was kinda weird for Robert to go to the shop without me but this girl needed some Z’s.

It wasn’t until Sunday that Robert and I had the bike talk. Yes, I had told him all this stuff before but he didn’t hear me until after he already ordered the mountain bike. It came up because he was asking about the difference between mountain bike shorts, shoes, and helmets. It occurred to me that Robert likes the look of the mountain bike but didn’t want to take up mountain biking. He wants more of a hybrid bike to ride in the street but can also do trails if he so chooses.

It was funny to go back to the bike shop. The first thing out of Edwards’s mouth was, “usually it is the girl who doesn’t know what kind of bike they want.” It was fun knowing more about a bike then a boy. Maybe Robert needed to hear everything I had already told him from the bike mechanics. But really, Edward let me say everything that Edward was going to say anyway. Robert finally understood. We cancelled the mountain bike order and order him a hybrid or “cross trail” bike.

It is fun riding my cruiser around with Roxy and now it will be easy for Robert to join us. The big question is where we are going to store all the bikes.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Vegas Babe!

Next week Robert and I will be heading over to Las Vegas, Sin City. Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Expect for herpes, that shit stays with you forever. (Quote from the movie, The Hangover.)

This is his trip. I do bike trips, he does gambling trips. I am not a gambler so I hangout at the bar.

In anticipation of looking my best at all the fancy casinos, I am going to pack my A game. I am planning on taking 8 pairs of shoes for the 4 days that we will be gone. All my “going out” cloths are coming with me along with my micro mini. If Robert hits it big I may end up coming home with 2 more pairs of shoes. I am dying for Jimmy Choo and Manolos. You can’t take the girl out of this biker chick.

The problem is I need a large luggage bag. My hot rollers won’t fit in the smaller luggage bag with all my shoes. I called my mom to borrow hers and this is how the conversation went…

Me: Mom, can I borrow the large luggage bag for the Vegas trip? But, I need the large one because I am taking all my shoes, cloths, and hot rollers.

Mom: Sure. What are you going to do while Roberts gambling?

Me: Hang out at the bar.

Mom: Like you did on the cruise? You got to know that piano player well. You hung out with him all night.

Me: Yeah. In Canada, there was a live band at the bar. That worked out good. I listened to the band while Robert played poker.

Mom: That’s good. The casinos always have entertainment for the guests. Just stay at that bar that is in the casino where Robert is.

Me: We are going to be on the Old strip. There shouldn’t be too much going on.

Mom: But still, stay in the same bar of the casino where Robert is. Don’t go wondering off. If something happens to you, it will be easier to find Robert if your in the same casino.

Me: Ok mom. I guess I will be over early on Tuesday to pick up the luggage. Thanks.

You heard it folks. She said it twice. “Stay at the bar”. That there is some good advice, straight from my mama. Just stay at the bar.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The Competitor In Me

As with each self identifying story begins, I was drinking one night in a bar with my girlfriend Dee Dee. This particular evening, we recklessly drove from San Antonio to Rock Port to stay at her folk’s place. The family home is conveniently located across the street and walking distance from Alice Fay’s. With hopes of going fishing, we ended up at Alice Fay’s, the local bar and boat dock is town. It is where all the locals hang out.

And as the story goes… we were drinking too much and we meet a couple guys that invited us to play skeet. I had never played the game before but suddenly was VERY into the game. I started hoppin’, hollerin’ and cursing like a sailor. People said they could hear yelling me from inside the restroom.

Dee Dee kind of stood back with a surprised look on her face. I think she was as surprised as me. I had never seen this side of myself.

Bike riding has made me very competitive. It is so odd since riding is an individual sport. It turns out that I was pushing myself to stay with the pack and not get dropped. All those rides when I was trying to beat my own time my own PB (personal best); the competitor in me began to emerge

It is a game that I play with my self. I have to pull the best out of myself; no one else can do it. It is the worst feeling to get dropped but if you stay in the front and not walk around like a zombie the rest of the day, then you know it was an awesome ride and you won.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Training

It is not a resolution but part of my training. This morning I woke up at 5AM, the same time I would wake up if I were commuting, and rode my bike on my trainer for forty-five minutes. The same time it would take me to get to work. I am a wimp and can’t handle the cold weather on the commute in or the commute home for that matter.

To eliminate some of the boredom, I rode next to my portable DVD player and watched “The Wedding Crashers”. I may finish the movie or try music on Wednesday. I still get bored and image chasing Bill or Brian on the road and up the last hills. The final turn on to campus is always a heart pounder. Turning left with the traffic wakes me up. Images of dancing on my pedals float in my mind as I ride. I always have to be alert and watch for those potholes on Huebner Road. Those darn holes are hard to see in the dark. My imagination helps me pass the time.

The plan is to sit on the trainer Monday and Wednesday morning’s then practice yoga on my lunch break. Tuesday and Thursday I was going to swim but the cold weather changed my mind and I think it will turn that time into a muscle strength time. Those days I will also attend spin class at lunch. Fridays are off days. Ride one day on the weekend.

I wonder how long this idea will last. A day, a week or being lofty enough, until May and until the time I leave for my trip. Either that or I will fall over from exhaustion and my teeth will start floating from all the red bull.

Friday, January 1, 2010

The End of 2009


I guess you can say its part of my training, but I keep track of my miles for the year. I am anal like that.

Walk/run miles: 405
Biking miles: 3218.9
Swimming miles: 9.8
Number of workouts at the USAA gym: 224

The most biking miles I have is 2997 in 2007. Needless to say that I am happy that I broke that record this year considering I was off my bike with a bum knee for about two months. Ira, a friend from cross roads, had ten thousand miles so I have lots to catch up on. I am happy beating my last record.

The last day of the year I still had some stomach issues but was insistent on having a good time. We had dinner at Delores Del Rio, an Italian restaurant on the river walk. They feature belly dancers that dance through the already close tables. We brought in the New Year at the Republic of Texas. They have a DJ that plays top 40 tunes plus some salsa music which meant we were able to get a few dances in.

At around 11 o’clock I made my way to the rest room to shake off my stomach troubles. I finally get to the stall only to hear Robert standing at the door of the ladies room yelling “Is there a Barbie in there? Barbie get out here, they are playing some music we can dance to.” My pants were barely buttoned and my stomach turning, I sucked it up. All the ladies patted my back and lead me out the door for encouragement.

People left the dance floor and those watching cheered us on. A group of friendly folks said we looked like dancing with the stars. We still have a ways to go but it was a nice compliment. Fireworks, blow horns, and a hopeful new year sparkled in my eyes. I feel so luck and blessed to have had such a wonderful 2009.