So. It’s May. Turns out it’s been a while since I posted. This is mainly because, shortly after that last post, I spilled tea on my computer and it officially kicked the bucket. It was 5 years old, and while it was still limping along I had been planning to get a new one for a while. Still. Long story short, it took about a month to get my new Macbook during which time Paul kindly leant me his personal computer for work. But that meant we shared a computer in the evenings and on weekends, and so I never got around to actually getting a post written.
Now, here we are, May 25th. I thought I’d share a bit about how the past month has shaken out. And, because why not, we’ll do it in list form. It’s not exciting, but I’m going to share anyway.
The top ten things on my mind/that have happened in the past four weeks:
#1 – I got second in that cycling competition. Yes, I rode my butt off and sort of exhausted myself for the last ten days in April to bring my total mileage for the month to 808 miles. That’s the most I’ve ever ridden in one month. I also logged my second highest weekly total at 276mi. Was it worth it? Yup. I mean, I got some weird chaffing and my butt kinda hurt by May 1. But I also got some spectacular rides in complete with sunrises, sunsets, and breathtaking mountain views. I also won $100 to Athleta, (I had no idea what the prize was until I got it), so that was pretty sweet too. Plus, honestly, I got the personal satisfaction of pushing myself really hard to achieve something AND just edged out the dude in third place ?(not that I was actively refreshing the stats on a regular basis or anything to ensure that would happen… ?).
#2 – The pandemic is still here. Not surprising, of course. The US is at nearly 100,000 deaths. The political situation is a mess and a disgrace. Battles are being waged over how and when to reopen the country. We finally bought masks. I refresh the news stories/Twitter slightly less, but the news is ever present. At any given moment it might feel depressing or hopeful, all-consuming or forgettable, terrifying or not too scary. It is a strange world. Time has sped up, likely because we’re settling into new routines and new normals. Some activities, like grocery shopping, are less nerve wracking productions than they were a month ago (masks, better awareness, and better organized systems all help). But still, I can’t help but notice every time I do/experience something that brings risk of exposure (talking to someone, standing near someone who’s not wearing a mask, passing someone on my bike closely, etc). The idea of being in a crowded room or restaurant is definitely not in my plans anytime soon.
#3 – I started watching Star Trek Next Generation. We watch an episode an evening while stretching (which yes, I’m finally getting back to out of absolute necessity). I like it so much more than I thought I would. I’m totally hooked.
#4 – More biking. My Instagram feed now consists of either pictures taken of outstretched roads from the righthand shoulder in varying lights OR selfies of me in bright pink sunglasses, a white helmet, and a buff smiling at the camera. It’s very boring to everyone who’s not me, I’m sure. But it definitely represents the times. I did complete a Super Jamestown ride (which involves a killer climb) a couple Saturday’s ago (my second time doing it and a total #paincave ride), and a solo century last Saturday (my fastest yet). Plus Paul’s back on his bike, and this Saturday we did the 16mi, 3,300ft climb up to Ward together!
#5 – Even more biking. They officially postponed and then canceled the Triple Bypass Ride, so there goes that. Instead, I am thinking of putting this training towards finally doing a cycling Everest… There are only about 6,500 people who have completed one either by foot (which is unthinkable to me) or by bike. The cyclists compose about 4,800 of those folks, of which just 241 are women ?. I want in on that action. It’s an enormous challenge (and one that incredibly badass cyclists have quit on many, many a time), but I think I can do it with some more training and a bit of luck. More on that another time. The 500,000ft challenge is still on though! And I’m on track for now, and in fact about 22,000ft ahead of schedule ?It’s easier to get elevation gain on the bike rather than by foot, and since I’m not climbing or hiking I’m doing a lot more hiking. Paul got a bit behind with the clavicle break, but I know he will catch up soon ?
#6 – Coffee Mondays. We’ve started getting coffee delivered on Monday mornings. We usually aren’t big coffee drinkers, though we often will have a cup if we’re working from a coffee shop. But, with all of those closed, the tea game has been really upped. Still, Monday morning coffee delivery has now made Monday mornings very exciting. On Sunday night it’s no longer, “Oh darn, better get ready for Monday” but instead, “Oh yay! Coffee day is tomorrow!”. The little things.
#7 – WDS is also postponed. It’s now been moved to 2021 along with all but one other event or travel plan I had this year, (and I think that last one is a matter of time). We’re still going to host a virtual WDS Day but it’s been strange to be preparing for something to finish (this was the 10th and final year) only to have that thing extend on for a year. It’s especially strange when that thing has been a huge part of my summers every year for the past eight years. I love my planning team crew, so I’m excited to keep regular contact with them for a while longer. But I’m also sad not to be experiencing the event in person this year, and also a little okay with my May and June travel plans feeling much less intense.
#8 – Zoom. I’ve had the pleasure of being on some great Zoom calls lately. In particular, our friend Eric sent along two incredibly delicious pre-mixed cocktails to Paul and I and our friends Julia & Brian. We all got on a call together to enjoy the cocktails and chat, which was truly delightful. I also got to do a fun trivia night with some of my best friends from college. A several hour, multi-round trivia extravaganza ensued, complete with singing, “phone a friend” moments, and a lot of laughs. It’s really nice to be able to connect with folks far away right now.
#9 – Cooking & cleaning, or lack thereof. I’ve been really unmotivated to both cook or clean lately. We’ve been cleaning enough, at least to keep the house tidy and sanitized. But I really need to sort through some boxes and this seems like a very logical time to do it. Plus I’d like to bring some books up from the garage now that we’re staying here for a bit, and there are several pictures in a box that would look a lot nicer on the walls. But I just haven’t had the oomph to actually go DO any of those things. Similar with cooking. After several weeks of baking, I’ve been feeling lazy. And just when I was going to make cookies, Paul decided to whip up a (far less complicated) batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that were super good and momentarily satisfied my sweet tooth. I’ll get back to both, I’m sure. The many, many hours of biking is the main culprit, I suspect. That plus my full time job + my part job + the desire to occasionally read/scroll social/do nothing kinda takes my hours.
#10 – I drove my car and talked to a human that I don’t live with. For the first time in at least ten weeks, I drove my car out of town AND had a conversation with someone who I didn’t live with. I drove towards Denver to Lady Justice Brewing, to pick up a 4-pack of rad beer I’d ordered to support them back in March. They were started by three ladies, one of whom I know from St. Mike’s! They actively give back to nonprofits and generally make the world a better place. How could I NOT get beer from them!? But I’d put off making the drive while we were in full stay-at-home orders. As those orders loosened, I made the drive out and got my car a bit of exercise. Wearing masks and standing outside and about 6ft apart, I got to catch up with Kate for about 15min, which was awesome. I recognize it was a small risk, as is the biking, but I’m trying hard to minimize exposure while also still staying sane. On the downside, I drove passed an accident caused by a truck I’d seen actively speeding a few miles earlier. The roads are still nuts. I don’t think I’ll be heading out again any time soon.
Okay, enough of that. I promise my next post won’t just be a round of what I’ve done for the past few weeks ???♀️
