Oh, and also, pigs learned to fly. In other words...
I got engaged.
... more on this later, on the race too!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
If you liked it, then you should have put a...
A couple of weekends ago, Josh and I traveled to Tucson to ride El Tour de Tucson again. We spent time with our friends there and we had a fantastic race.
Oh, and also, pigs learned to fly. In other words...
I got engaged.
... more on this later, on the race too!
Oh, and also, pigs learned to fly. In other words...
I got engaged.
... more on this later, on the race too!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sale still pending...
Dear Freddie Mac,
You own a lot of houses. I would really like to buy a house, and I would very particularly like to buy a specific one of your houses. This house has been empty for three years, and nobody else seems to be interested in it. I want it. I am willing to pay you for it, and I am even willing to jump through a few hoops to get it. This house needs work, and I am willing to take on the cost and effort required. With as many uninhabited houses as you own, wouldn't selling one of them off be a good thing? Wouldn't you want to get rid of an empty house that needs repairs?
You're making this way more difficult than necessary, Freddie. We've been patient. We've been waiting on you for months, but you are dragging your ass for no apparent reason. You accepted our offer, and then you didn't answer calls for a few weeks. You put up a sign in front of the house to indicate that our sale was pending, and then you did nothing for a solid month. What am I supposed to do? I have no choice but to sit around and wait for you to allow me to sign away my financial future. I'm ready to sign it away, if only you'd pick up the damn pace.
I'm sorry if you were hoping for a cash-buyer to swoop in and take this property of your hands in a matter of days. I'm sorry if you have to fill out some extra paperwork on my account. But you know what? I'm patient, and I'm determined, and I want this damn house. I want this neighborhood and I want this lot and I want the dysfunctional pool and the walls with holes in them and even the horrible, painted wood paneling in the office. I realize that five months isn't really that long of a time when you think about how long we're likely to live in the house; but really, Freddie! Five months from offer to closing? That's a long time. I just don't see how it could possibly not be in all parties' best interest to get this thing over and done with already. This whole deal could have already closed by now if you'd just have hurried the hell up.
Sorry, Freddie, you're stuck with me until I get this house. I'm not backing down.
Sincerely,
Meg
You own a lot of houses. I would really like to buy a house, and I would very particularly like to buy a specific one of your houses. This house has been empty for three years, and nobody else seems to be interested in it. I want it. I am willing to pay you for it, and I am even willing to jump through a few hoops to get it. This house needs work, and I am willing to take on the cost and effort required. With as many uninhabited houses as you own, wouldn't selling one of them off be a good thing? Wouldn't you want to get rid of an empty house that needs repairs?
You're making this way more difficult than necessary, Freddie. We've been patient. We've been waiting on you for months, but you are dragging your ass for no apparent reason. You accepted our offer, and then you didn't answer calls for a few weeks. You put up a sign in front of the house to indicate that our sale was pending, and then you did nothing for a solid month. What am I supposed to do? I have no choice but to sit around and wait for you to allow me to sign away my financial future. I'm ready to sign it away, if only you'd pick up the damn pace.
I'm sorry if you were hoping for a cash-buyer to swoop in and take this property of your hands in a matter of days. I'm sorry if you have to fill out some extra paperwork on my account. But you know what? I'm patient, and I'm determined, and I want this damn house. I want this neighborhood and I want this lot and I want the dysfunctional pool and the walls with holes in them and even the horrible, painted wood paneling in the office. I realize that five months isn't really that long of a time when you think about how long we're likely to live in the house; but really, Freddie! Five months from offer to closing? That's a long time. I just don't see how it could possibly not be in all parties' best interest to get this thing over and done with already. This whole deal could have already closed by now if you'd just have hurried the hell up.
Sorry, Freddie, you're stuck with me until I get this house. I'm not backing down.
Sincerely,
Meg
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Day of the Tread
I'm a big fan of Halloween- that's no secret. I first learned about Albuquerque's Day of the Tread ride a couple of years ago, well before we knew that we would be moving back to New Mexico. Of course I immediately loved the idea... costumes and a 100-mile bike ride? Sounds right up my alley!
We got some great comments on our costumes (mostly for Josh), and quite a few people asked to take our photos at the start line. A writer for ABQ Sports magazine interviewed Josh and took our photo as well, and said that we would see ourselves in the November issue. I guess that means we'll be famous. Or something. Some other people were dressed up for the 100-miler, but our costumes definitely seemed the most appropriate for the theme of the ride.
Josh and I signed up for this event months ago and tried to come up with some cycling-appropriate costumes. This event includes a few different distances, and apparently the 100-mile ride is typically the least costumed of the lot. I guess *most* people find it cumbersome to wear a costume while biking 100 miles, so typically the impressive costumes show up for the rides of 50 or less miles. My main objective was to find a costume that would not only be impressive but also comfortable for wearing on my bike for 6+ hours. Josh clearly was not so concerned about comfort, and paid for it in the end.
The race started at sunrise, and riders were sent off with a very New Mexican-style raising of the flag via hot air balloon. The morning was cold, and my fingers stayed pretty numb for about the first hour of the ride. Five miles into the ride, Josh was already needing to stop and adjust his costume. I was annoyed to have to be stopping already so early on, but we had agreed to stick together and just enjoy the day, so I sat back and watched people ride past us. This would turn out to be the theme for the day.
I don't know what exactly I did, or what combination of food I managed, or what the hell had gotten into me, but I was on fire for this entire ride. I was feeling great, spinning fast, and passing people! Maybe it was the tutu. I rode up the five-mile-long Tramway hill faster than I'd ever ridden it before. My legs felt great, my breathing wasn't bothering me, and I was happy to be on my bike. Josh continued to need to stop every five miles or so (he never really planned for the fact that he was unable to eat or drink with his mask on), so I would get ahead of him on the hills, and then wait for him to catch up at the rest stops. I admit that I was upset to not be able to keep riding and stick with some of the larger packs of cyclists, but no matter what I was having a blast. Everybody smiled when they saw us in costume. Very similar to my side-ponytail hypothesis, I've decided that it's pretty much impossible to be in a bad mood when you're dressed up in a silly costume.
So we pedaled, and pedaled, and kept pedaling. Josh continued to have trouble with his mask, and around mile 45 he finally took off the big top hat and stowed it in the backpack he brought along. By this point I think the damage had been done, as his back was bothering him quite a bit from the pressure of the wind and not being able to lower his head. We headed north, knowing that we'd probably have a big hill to climb in Placitas. Turns out, we had multiple big hills to climb on the way to Placitas. I was still feeling great and was flying up the hills, but J was slowing down considerably and was NOT happy about the elevation gains.
Unfortunately we have few photos from this ride. I tried to take photos for the first part of the race, but towards the end I just had no desire to mess with my camera while on my bike. And Josh flat-out refused to chance using the camera with his mask on, so I have no photos of myself riding. Oh well.
Long story short, we finished the ride. Barely. I basically had to drag Josh behind me for the last 30-35 miles of the race, force him to eat and drink at the rest stops, and continue to try my best at being supportive even though all I wanted to do was ride ahead and finish. But, we made it! And somehow I still felt great at the finish line... I could have ridden for another hour or two, easy. At the least, this gives me great hope for El Tour de Tucson next month. I'd been worrying about not having trained enough.
All-in-all, I think we made no less than fifteen stops over the course of this ride. According to my fancy GPS device on my bike, the difference between time spent actually pedaling and time spent total is 1.5 hours. That's a lot of time to be stopped on the side of the road! By the time we finished, all of our friends (who were riding shorter distances) had departed and the race volunteers were starting to break down the tents. It's a shame, because I think that if we'd finished earlier and been present for the awards ceremony, Josh could have made a good run at the Best Costume contest. I guess we'll never know.
Despite the setbacks, I thoroughly enjoyed myself on this ride. And though he was physically miserable by the end of it, I know Josh loved all the attention he got for his costume. I will absolutely return to do this ride again next year (and every year!), but it's comforting to know that we can always choose to do the shorter versions of the race if necessary. [And, for the record, I offered the option of only doing 80 or 65 miles, but Josh was the one who insisted that we should ride the 100. Famous last words.]
I don't know what exactly I did, or what combination of food I managed, or what the hell had gotten into me, but I was on fire for this entire ride. I was feeling great, spinning fast, and passing people! Maybe it was the tutu. I rode up the five-mile-long Tramway hill faster than I'd ever ridden it before. My legs felt great, my breathing wasn't bothering me, and I was happy to be on my bike. Josh continued to need to stop every five miles or so (he never really planned for the fact that he was unable to eat or drink with his mask on), so I would get ahead of him on the hills, and then wait for him to catch up at the rest stops. I admit that I was upset to not be able to keep riding and stick with some of the larger packs of cyclists, but no matter what I was having a blast. Everybody smiled when they saw us in costume. Very similar to my side-ponytail hypothesis, I've decided that it's pretty much impossible to be in a bad mood when you're dressed up in a silly costume.
Trawmway Rd.- five miles of uphill fun!
So we pedaled, and pedaled, and kept pedaling. Josh continued to have trouble with his mask, and around mile 45 he finally took off the big top hat and stowed it in the backpack he brought along. By this point I think the damage had been done, as his back was bothering him quite a bit from the pressure of the wind and not being able to lower his head. We headed north, knowing that we'd probably have a big hill to climb in Placitas. Turns out, we had multiple big hills to climb on the way to Placitas. I was still feeling great and was flying up the hills, but J was slowing down considerably and was NOT happy about the elevation gains.
Unfortunately we have few photos from this ride. I tried to take photos for the first part of the race, but towards the end I just had no desire to mess with my camera while on my bike. And Josh flat-out refused to chance using the camera with his mask on, so I have no photos of myself riding. Oh well.
Long story short, we finished the ride. Barely. I basically had to drag Josh behind me for the last 30-35 miles of the race, force him to eat and drink at the rest stops, and continue to try my best at being supportive even though all I wanted to do was ride ahead and finish. But, we made it! And somehow I still felt great at the finish line... I could have ridden for another hour or two, easy. At the least, this gives me great hope for El Tour de Tucson next month. I'd been worrying about not having trained enough.
All-in-all, I think we made no less than fifteen stops over the course of this ride. According to my fancy GPS device on my bike, the difference between time spent actually pedaling and time spent total is 1.5 hours. That's a lot of time to be stopped on the side of the road! By the time we finished, all of our friends (who were riding shorter distances) had departed and the race volunteers were starting to break down the tents. It's a shame, because I think that if we'd finished earlier and been present for the awards ceremony, Josh could have made a good run at the Best Costume contest. I guess we'll never know.
Despite the setbacks, I thoroughly enjoyed myself on this ride. And though he was physically miserable by the end of it, I know Josh loved all the attention he got for his costume. I will absolutely return to do this ride again next year (and every year!), but it's comforting to know that we can always choose to do the shorter versions of the race if necessary. [And, for the record, I offered the option of only doing 80 or 65 miles, but Josh was the one who insisted that we should ride the 100. Famous last words.]
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