Karbonation

THIS HOUSE HAS BEEN RENTED, no more applications for May 1, 2011. Thanks! Cute House for Rent! NE Minneapolis - RENTED!

2011-03-05T12:17:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody-

Cozy 2 bedroom house for rent in NE Minneapolis comes with a comfy 3-season porch out front, hardwood floors throughout. Space in the clean and bright basement for ski-waxing, bike storage, etc. with washer and dryer to boot and it has new appliances. It's essentially the definition of charming -- quiet neighborhood, situated up on a hill with space out back for bbq or a free-standing fire-pit. There is also a park and a coffee shop within a couple blocks.

This house is perfect for a couple or a single person due to it's size.

Rent is $1050/mo and utilities generally work out to about $150/mo over a 12mo avg.

Looking for renter(s) to move in a May 1, 2011.

contact: rkarbon@qbp.com

Pictures:

Iceman Cometh 2010

2010-11-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

Iceman 2010: A 27ish mile point to point mountain bike race in northern Michigan from Kalkaska to Traverse City.

Starting temp/conditions: 24 degrees, sunny and a dusting of snow on the ground.

Some of you might know this, but my husband, at times when I am stubborn or impatient, say’s to me, “you’re like a little bull”. And today was one of those days. The little bull showed itself mostly between miles 25 through 28. I was completely spent. My cold medication had worn off, I was dehydrated and starving, but there was no way I wasn’t going to finish what I started. Not even with my mind screaming at me to please, for the love of god, stop. Not even when I’d approach another long climb and my left quad would cramp right above the knee. Nope, I’d just click the gears to where I’d slowly spin to the top. On those climbs I fell in love with my new 29er wheels, which carried me to the top of every single steep climb without slipping out once.

The Iceman 2010 ended up being 28.5 miles and it held true to it’s name this year with not only providing the folks who raced today with ice, but snow, and cold temps. Last year, my first year doing this race, it was 60 degrees at the end. While the course was fast last year, it wasn’t as challenging as this year. And this year destroyed me. Completely. And yet worth every penny of the $65 bucks it cost to register.

The race historically is cruel. For starters it’s in Northern Michigan in November. This could prove challenging just with weather, but there are a few other notable items that make this race hard besides the weather. One, the course has lots of sand, that when you crash, one of the other 4000 participants is surly not too far behind and will ride right over the top of you. (not on purpose, but just because it can’t be helped) This happened to me last year. The guy was super great and the sand was nice and soft, so it all worked out. It also happened early in the race so there was plenty of adrenaline and I was up and back on the bike before he even could finish apologizing.

The course also tests you mostly at the end. It climbs. A lot. Over and over again. Hills, after you’ve gone as hard as you can go, and your low fuel light is on, you come through a flat section to see yet another long, muddy climb. Today I was on one of those climbs with about 5 miles to go and it was messy. Muddy, packed with riders, and only one good line. I was about 10 feet from the top and a guy barked at me that he was coming around on my left. Now, I am a gracious rider, but I was about 5 seconds from cresting, and he was just going to have to deal with it. I was at the top when he came around and shoved me over and I went down hard, and he kept going. I wasn’t even mad, I was so thankful. I just wanted to be lying down anyway. I was clearly bonking. I looked up at the bright blue sky for a moment longer than I should have, got up, brushed off the snow and mud and kept moving forward, going against advice from my body to just continue lying down. I had ignored it for this long, what’s a few more miles.

Aside from the usual meatheads you’ll without doubt experience out of that many riders, generally most of the folks that participate are great. I came through a few miles of tight, mushy single track. It was full of quick turns, lots of trees to avoid bouncing off of, and a tricky descent wet with leaves, ice and snow. I finished that section with a guy right on my wheel that whole time, he came around me when it the trail widened and said ‘you rocked that section.’ That made my day because all day I struggled with over steering my new bike. The bigger wheels make steering a different game.

As I was in the last few miles of this ride, a guy next to me on a climb came unglued. He just stopped, got off his bike, pulled off to the side, and swore out loud, and proclaimed (to no one in particular) that he was wanting to totally quit this race and he was done suffering. As I came up next to him, I saw he was riding a singlespeed, (which considering the climbs, I thought it was impressive) and I just smiled at him. I totally understood. I felt that way on the inside. I just wasn’t going to show it to anyone.

My overall time was slower than last year, partly because I hadn’t trained enough (read: at all). And the conditions were harder for me and where my skills are. But I still loved every hard mile of it and am ready for next year.

Happy days are here again!

2009-01-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

So, the holidays are now over. Today was the start of a regular five day work week and it just feels wrong. It's been a only a few weeks since I had to string that many work days together and I feel completely out of practice. I will probably survive. Barely.

New years resolutions you ask? Hmmm. To be Nice(er). I know, I know, I can hear you now, "Bec, you ARE nice"... Well there is always room for improvement. Um, let's see what else.. Ah, hmm, well, mmmm, I suppose I should have thought more about ths post before I started typing.

I am listening to some music from a local musician right now. Her name is Tina and she doesn't really play around here anymore, but when she did is was great. "there ain't no place for a woman like me, my hands are dirty, but my soul is clean".. That's how I feel today, in the new year. I suppose it could be worse.

Here's to you Tina!

Motor City

2008-12-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

Is it strange to be working selling bicycle parts in a city nicknamed Motor City? Not so much. This picture of Detroit, this is not the Detroit I know, but I'd like to see it like that. I see urban and the grit,grit,grittiness. I like gritty, but this is a hard working, not a lot of pay for that hard working, grit. It's tired. It's beat down gritty. Detroit is a don't-mess-with-me kind of grit. And I don't. I only observe and keep moving and flash my Kiss Army card in times danger. It keeps me safe.

Heading over to Lansing tomorrow. Will post pics of my journey this week. A photo journal, if you will. Stay tuned.

california and back (home) again

2008-12-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

I am back home now. Home being defined at Minneapolis, Minnesota.

January will mark my 16th year of living here. Sometimes when I think about that I am amazed at how fast time has gone. I was young when I moved here (20 years old) and I struggled a lot. My folks didn't really think it was a good idea to relocate here and I did what any regular 20 year old does and didn't listen to them and pushed ahead with what I wanted. I packed my rusty old Dodge Omni, my cat, and drove in a snowstorm to an apartment I found in the newspaper, that was occupied with my new roomates, whom I had never met. My dad followed me with a minivan with the rest of my belongings and what should have taken us 6 hours to drive, took us nearly 10 with the bad weather. When we did arrive (at around 9 pm) no one was around to help me move into my third story apartment that did not have an elevator. For the next two hours, I would pass my father either going up with a load of boxes and me going back down the stairs to grab another load, and the dozens of times we passed each other on the stairs, he was sure not miss one opportunity to tell me what a stupid idea it was to move to Minnesota. I remember struggling a lot with that and the only way I got through it was that I knew he'd be gone in the morning and I just needed to get to tomorrow and I'd be on my own.

We finished unpacking the vehicals and he went to stay at a local hotel and I went to bed. The next morning he came by and he met my roommates (the ones I had met only hours earlier) and before he left he opened his wallet and gave me a handful of cash and said if I changed my mind and wanted to come home to just call him and he'd come back to get me. I remember thinking 'not even if my life depends on it."

I remember that night so clearly that if feels like yesterday. And here I sit all these years later and wonder how I did make it. I worked a ton of crappy jobs, worked my way through college that took me seven (yes seven, and no I am not a doctor)years. I never lived in a dorm or went to a frat party. I worked mostly fulltime and went to school at night and took out a SHIT TON-- I repeat A SHIT TON of student loans to make my existence work here.

A few years ago I looked into moving to a new place. Maybe somewhere near some mountains or an ocean. I decided against it for a number of reasons. None of which I will tell you today.

And this is where it all ties into the photo above. In the photo I am with my soon to be sister-in-law.. or as I would rather just call her my sister. That's Sue Ped and we are in the place she calls home, San Diego. A lovely place that I can't ever imagine living. It's so expensive, it's crowded, it's so differnt from where I live... I caught myself as I was thinking all of those things and wondered if I had some of my parents in me in how they didn't support me when I needed to move on and away. I realized that I don't have to worry about where Sue chose to live or whether or not it would work for me, because it doesn't have to. It's where she wants to be and all I should do is love her and be excited about the fact that she is in nice place in the country that I can hop on a plane to go visit and feel the warm sun on my skin before I head back to snowy Minnesota. She is happy and living in sunny California, complete with a family that consists of three small kids, who will all learn how to surf and have already been rock climbing and none of them are over the age of five.

I suspect, as I look at that picture, that Sue and I have some things in common and those are things I should think about, not whether or not it's a good idea to live where she lives. Or whether or not it is right or wrong because really, it's neither.

Pre Thanksgiving Post Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T12:55:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of me on Nov 26th, the day before Thanksgiving.

This is now me only two days later. The day after T-Day. Oh what can happen in only two days.

Since I am posting, this needs to be said... OBAMA!

2008-11-17T21:14:00.001-08:00

I feel so proud. I am actually looking forward to the next 4 years. Maybe even the next 8! OBAMA!

If this blog fell in the forest...

2008-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Smithers asked if this blog actually exists and I suppose it does. It's something I used to write on from time to time, but mostly it was around to help raise awareness about MS. I don't think many people check in anymore since my big bike rides are all done, but if you do check in and you helped me raise TONS of money for the MS Society over the past few years I'd like to say thank you.

I am getting married this July. My fiance and I are trying to figure out our living situation and my job keeps me incredibly busy. I am happy mostly, but wish I could work less and enjoy life a little bit more. I don't see my friends as much as I'd like and I could always exercise more.... couldn't we all??!?!?

So, here I sit on a Sunday evening at 9:11p.m. and feel the weight of Monday bearing down already. I think I'll sign off here for now and go do some reading.

Thanks for reading and I'll see if I can find a picture to post to make this more entertaining :)

Who is THE GERMAN?

2008-09-08T19:07:00.001-07:00

Sorry to everyone who might not know who that man is in the picture below. The German is, in fact, Jan Ulrich. Mr. Ulrich is the 1997 Tour De France winner. He is also younger than me. Barely. I looked it up and he was born in December of 1973. I was born in March of 1973. Barely, but still younger. I only point it out because he looks older. Jan is also an Olympic gold medal winner in the sport of cycling. He also has placed 2nd in the Tour for a handful of years. He is an amazing cyclist. Even if he did dope. He's never admitted to it, but has been accused. To me it doesn't matter. He's still an amazing athlete and I am a fan. Not a as much of a fan as my friend Derrick, (who is a SUPER fan) but a fan nonetheless. So, there you have it. That is the German and I met him. And he said 5 words to me. "Hello, My name is Jan" I already knew that, but that's ok. I can say for certian that it was Jan because he told me so. :)

And for the record, for all of you serious cyclists out there who do or have watched the tour, Jan is not fat. At all.

The German

2008-09-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

EuroBike

2008-09-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Mike and I are at Eurobike and I have some great photos to post later today! Stay tuned!

Reb

Senior and Junior Van Waes

2008-09-02T00:48:00.000-07:00

This is Sean and his youngest son Maurice. We call him Mini Me.

leaving Belgium

2008-09-02T00:45:00.000-07:00

We are leaving Belgium and heading to Germany today. More to come! Enjoy the photo of Dr. Van Was and Mini Me :)

Love
Reb and Mike

It's monday already?!?!

2008-09-01T01:42:00.001-07:00

Ok, so we haven't been very good at updating this blog. Mostly it's been lack of time. The ride ended on Friday and we are currently in Antwerp, a great little city in Belgium. We are here one more night and then we drive up to Germany. I have some more pictures posted below. We've had a good trip so far and we've had a lot of unexpected situations fall upon us, which include but is not limited to, missing a train connection in Paris, Mike misplacing his passport as we went through security (but he found it), stomach flu, biking 10K through a construction zone on a major highway, one of our riding participants crashing on the descent of the Col'd Aubisque and breaking his collar bone, and having an atm machine in Amsterdam take my cash card from me (thankfully I am traveling with my sugar daddy).

All of those above were the challenges we faced (good lord and we still have a week to go), but here are some of the awesome things we encountered. The city of San Sebastian in Spain. I cannot do justice by describing its beauty, so I will post more pictures. We've had amazing food, an entire week of sunshine and warm weather. We've laughed with friends and rode about 350 miles in 6 days. There is MUCH more, but without further chatter, I will post some pictures for now and update it again later. Thanks to everyone who sent in their attempts to win a prize by identifying the museum. You will all get a little something from me when I return!

As I end this post I am sitting in the living room of the home of Sean and Marie (friends of Mike's). It is about 10a.m. and Mike is still sleeping upstairs. He is the one who got some sort of stomach bug and was sick all of last night. He is better this morning and I cannot tell you how lucky I feel that we weren't traveling or on a train, or taking a taxi when he got sick.

It's only Monday and I am looking forward to seeing Germany tomorrow!

More soon!

Love
Reb

Mike taking photo of Sander

2008-09-01T01:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Mike had the camera most of the time...

This is a picture of him and my friend Sander climbing and this is near the top.

lunch break

2008-09-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

lunch stop Sander, Mel and Mike

2008-09-01T01:21:00.000-07:00

almost to the top!

2008-09-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

Sheep Crossing!

2008-09-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

20K climb to the top!

2008-09-01T01:14:00.001-07:00

Climbing the Col D'Aubisque

2008-09-01T01:14:00.000-07:00

2008-09-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

video

2008-08-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

Truck getting help from local farmer

2008-08-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

So, if you sroll down you will see a photo that is labled, van stuck in ditch. We'll the photo doesn't show it but the driver side tire is actually up in the air. I am trying to attach a video here of a local farmer pulling the truck out with a tractor.

Can you name this famous museum in Bilbao?

2008-08-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

If you identify this, I will bring you back a present!

Mike holding my purse in Bilbao

2008-08-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night

2008-08-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

So, it's late. We are headed to bed because tomorrow the real riding begins. We actually are climbing the Col D'Aubisque. It will be hard.

I will have a full report tomorrow.

Actually the next three days are going to be tough riding, but I guess that's really why we are here.

It's been a nice trip and it's good to travel with friends and practice my French.

More soon.

Love,
Reb and Mike

van stuck in ditch

2008-08-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

2008-08-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday!

2008-08-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hello all, or at least hello to maybe the one person who might actually be reading this. We've had spotty internet service and the when it wasn't spotty it was not free and if it's not free Mike won't use it... so today is free and not spotty :)

We don't have a lot of time right now as we are heading out to ride very shortly.

A quick update is the riding has been good and the weather warm. We are leaving the town of Dax tonight and headed to Pau, where we will stay for two nights. Tomorrow, Thursday and Friday are the days in the mountains.

We'll have more time tonight to post and show more pictures. I'll attach a few now. The first night in San Sebastian was amazing. It's a place where everyone should try and see once. I'll post a few pics from there as well.

It's hard to believe that this bike ride in only part of the adventure. Next week (or I should say, on Saturday) we pack up and take a train up to Belgium. Everything is so exciting!

Love to you all and more updated tonight!

Reb and Mike

For Immediate Release

2008-04-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is my announcement that I am coming out of retirement for one more go-around with Karbonation.

Thank you to everyone who donated to the MS Society. Together we raised over $8000! I am proud to know all of you and I wish you all could be coming with me and Mike on this bike ride. I am hoping to update this while we travel the next two weeks as a way of bringing you along!

Thanks again and stay tuned!

Love,
Reb

Retired

2007-02-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

I've made my million off this blog, so it's time to hang it up and spend that time with the grandkids. They get big so quick.

Now, go on...get outta here. Shut the computer off. Life is short.

Love,
Rebecca

He just wants more time

2007-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Man given 1 year to live wins million-dollar lottery

Associated Press
Last update: February 01, 2007 – 9:55 AM

NAPLES, N.Y. — In December, Wayne Schenk was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. A month later, he was a millionaire. The 50-year-old tavern owner from Naples, New York, won a million dollars in a New York state lottery scratch-off game. But the Marine Corps veteran doesn't expect to be around to collect all his winnings. To do that, he would have to live 20 years. His doctors have given him a year to live, at most. Under lottery rules for the High Stakes Blackjack game he won on January 12, the jackpot winner receives the cash in annual installments over 20 years. That's $50,000 before taxes. Schenk picked up his first payment last week -- $34,000 after taxes. Other than a hunting trip to Alaska, Schenk says he doesn't want to buy anything fancy with his winnings. He says he just wants more time

Jonathan Page

2007-01-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

I met Jonathan Page at the Rhode Island National Cross Championships in November. I was very excited to hear about his finish today in Belgium. My friend Franky works for him and I know this a big day for both of them. I am sure that meeting me is part of the reason he had a tremendous day at Worlds. Second place! That's a spectacular finish for an American in the sport and very exciting news overall. Here is an interview with Page from VeloNews.

The Decider - Redux

2007-01-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

I am really really ready for this guy's term to be over!

This is how much time is left. How can you not love google when you can find things like this on there?

Happy Weekend!

Fun in Belgium!

2007-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Check out the fun here!

Repost

2007-01-17T13:31:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine lost his father on Sunday. He was 65 and too young, in my opinion, to have died. I was at the visitation today and hugged my friend and talked to various others there who stopped in to offer support and love during this sad occasion. People try really hard to celebrate someones life at a memorial and I can appreciate that. I hope people will laugh and enjoy each others company if/when there is a visitation for me. I suppose my friend's dad wouldn't have wanted any of us to to feel sad, but it's hard not to. You miss people when they are gone. It's hard to feel anything else. So today I feel like posting this story again below. I am not a religious person so this hits home for me and I hope you all appreciate it.

Your Soul
by
Hollis Gillespie
My mother, besides being a missile scientist and a minor kleptomaniac, was also an atheist, which might explain why, when I was seven years old, I had a crush on Satan. Not that I knew who he was, mind you, I just based everything on a picture I saw in the Children's Bible, which I had gotten my hands on at a friend’s house. In it Satan was this handsome man with hair as black as octopus ink styled like Lyle Wagoner's.

When my mother came home from work that day I told her I wanted to marry Satan when I grew up. She looked at me gravely, then said, "Kid, whatever you do, don't get married."
My affections for Satan soon fizzled on their own, as my mother had figured. Then came a very brief period during which she allowed my two sisters and me to go to church. I suppose she thought it was a good way to get us out of the house for a day. A church bus came by and collected us along with the rest of the neighborhood kids every Sunday. During the service, I always approached the podium when the preacher called forth sinners from the audience who wanted their souls saved.

One day a lady usher stopped me in the aisle as I made my weekly pilgrimage. "You were saved last week, sweetie, and the week before that,"
she said, leading me back to my seat, ". . . and the week before that."
"But it doesn’t take," I protested.

The preacher called home to complain about my behavior, and it was this that prompted my mother to call a stop to church. The bus still pulled up outside our apartment building every Sunday and honked, but my mother waved it away. I worried that I would go to hell, but my mother brushed it off.

"What bigger hell is there than a heaven full of people like that?" my mother asked, indicating the departing bus with her lit Salem cigarette.
"And your soul, by the way, is fine."

My mother never wavered from her stand on religion. She would throw herself between her children and any aggressively approaching street prophets during family outings along the esplanade. "Stay back!" she'd hiss, stopping them in their tracks, their propaganda moistening in their palms, and they stayed back. Instead of the afterlife, she believed in the *only* life, as in, "This is the only life you get, don't wreck it." She died young. Her life considerably less wrecked than it could have been. Before the cancer caused her to lapse into a coma, she told me her biggest regret in life.

When she was a little girl, she wrote "bicycle" on her Christmas list, knowing her parents could not afford to buy her one. Christmas came and went with no bicycle, but still she continued to write "bicycle" at the end of her mother's grocery list every week for months. "I wish I hadn't done that," she said with soft penitence, her eyes round and sad. And that was it, there was no other moment of looming regret, no fearful doubts about her stand on religion. There was just this one sweet repentance, and then she was unconscious.

I suppose I should have prayed then, but I didn't know how, so in the end I simply lay down next to her on the bed and stroked her hair. "I love you, Mom," I said. "And your soul, by the way, is fine."

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Boston

2006-12-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

We ate

We drank (jeff, john and piper)

We raced bikes

We saw Franky.

Huh?

(Franky is my friend from Belgium. I traveled with him two years ago in Europe. He was in Rhode Island for the National Cross Championships. Someone should have told me to take off my goofy hat )

Improvements

2006-12-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

A friend (whom I affectionately refer to as Mama) recently saw this picture of me and instructed me to post this on my blog. Being that I live by certain rules and one of them being to do what Mama says I have posted it for your viewing pleasure.

The title of today's entry is Improvements because I think I have improved the way I do my hair from those big hair days. I think that picture is from 1989. Who knows maybe in another 20 years I'll look at photos from today and think "good lord, what was I thinking?!!" I'll wonder why my pants sat so low on my hips. How I ever thought big heeled boots looked good. I am not normally a slave to fashion as I try to stay lost in the mix a bit and blend in amongst the commoners as to not cause too much of a stir with my wild good looks and amazing personality. ;)

Lately this blog has been all serious and today it is about lightening it up a bit. And I don't feel like blogging anymore. Actually, right before Mama suggested that I post this picture to the blog, I thought about deleting the entire blog itself. This is how my mind works. Complete swings. I am not good at living in the gray. Sometimes I get caught up in the "it is or it isn't" mind set and I don't allow a lot of room for error. So today I am giving it yet another try of staying in the gray of uncertainty. If you have read my blog in the past you will know this is something I am constantly trying to work on. So anyway, that is all to say that Karbonation lives on yet another day.

Happy Monday.

Case #68056404

2006-11-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

Decision:
The Appeal Committee has maintained Medica's denial of Ms. _insert my full name here_ request to waive the 20% coinsurance up to a maximum of $200 per refill, for her prescription of Betaseron.

Rational:
1. The Appeals Committee had determined that the change in prescription benefits that took place on July 1, 2006 was clearly outlined in the Certificate of Coverage, BPL#75295, Section G Specialty Prescription Drugs. Formulary specialty prescription drugs, such as Betaseron, are to be received from a designated specialty drug pharmacy and the member is responsible for a 20 percent coinsurance up to a maximum of $200 per prescription unit or refill.

2. The Appeals Committee understood that the benefit change has posed an economic hardship for _insert my full name here_. Unfortunately the Appeal Committee cannot change or amend the Certificate of Coverage.
--------

I love this. So under bullet number one because the change was CLEARLY outlined is suppose to mean something. To me now it's clearly outlined and is also clearly an example of bad policy.

The second bullet point is priceless. I love how they state it's "understood that the benefit change had posed an economic hardship"... they should have finished that sentence with "but we really don't care and we are lame"

What I find most interesting is that I had my appeal on Tuesday and on Wednesday I posted about it on my blog and today when I checked my site meter it showed up that someone from Medica actually read my blog. I am curious what that is all about. Maybe whoever from Medica has read this blog would care to comment?

Medica

2006-11-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

My health insurance Medica has made a change in my policy. They placed my MS medicine on a list that they call a "Specialty Med List" and are now telling me I have to start paying $200 a month for my MS medicine that I have always paid (for the past four years) $11 a month for. I had a super fun meeting today with four Medica employees regarding this. Today was my "appeal". I was in the super fun meeting with the panel for 6 minutes. SIX! How much can you really accomplish in that time? Well, I'll tell you. Within that time I told them that I would appreciate it greatly if they would so kindly go back to doing what they always have been doing for the past four years. One woman looked at me and said "well you know this is in your insurance certificate of coverage" And I stated to her that yes, in fact, I was aware that this change it is now in my certificate of coverage and that I was also aware that this appeal is probably one of those rubber stamp deals where they all shake their heads, say they are sorry, but really there is nothing they can do to help me and then promptly deny my appeal. I told them that the problem I have is that Medica just made a change. Someone higher up at Medica decided that my medicine should now be put on a Specialty Med List and therefore I now have to pay $200 a month. Just like that. An arbitrary decision in which I believe another arbitrary decision could be made to (are you ready for this) CHANGE IT BACK! (I know, I know it's a mind blowing concept.)

I've been trying for the past few weeks to make some sense of this. You know to find the greater meaning in it all, because mostly it just feels like I am getting screwed with my pants on.

MS has changed my life and honestly in some pretty good ways. I never want to be thought of as a victim or disadvantaged because truly everyone has something. Everyone has their own personal battles in life, so I don't necessarily want to be looked upon as poor little Becky. Ever. But I would like some consideration from my insurance company that I am --in fact-- a human being and that it would be nice if they could start treating those whom they are in business to serve a little bit better. I find out on Friday if Medica will allow me to go back to the way things were. I am not holding my breath.

I was thinking about my super fun meeting there today before I met with the panel as I sat in the lobby of this insurance giant and looked around at the deep mahogany walls and the sparkling marble floors. I noted the lavish decorations that have been put in place for the holiday season. Dozens of poinsettia's, wreaths of garland tangled with ribbons and glitter. I looked at the thick glass top desk that housed two well dressed, perky girls who cheerfully greeted the folks as they entered the grand waiting area. I tried hard to think and figure out where I fit into this place. What was I really here to accomplish? I know that I've been worked into the actuaries equation. They know exactly how much I will cost them if I fight this change in policy. I've been reduced down to a number that will help them meet a better bottom line. They have figured out that my complaining, my requests for their time for an appeal, that it is still less expensive in the long run to make this policy change. They have probably figured that I'll just stop taking the medicine (which I currently have) and already in two months it's saved them $4000. This drags on longer and next month they will save another $2000. Someone is going to get a new boat at Medica for Christmas at my expense. Meanwhile, I sit and wonder if my MS will hold steady without the medicine. I gamble with my future because of Medica. I don't have an extra $200 a month to pay for the medicine. I just don't. I don't live extravagantly. I am the thrift store queen. I work hard and give back in the line of work I choose to do. A co-worker once said that a civil society is one that takes care of it's people. And I couldn't agree more. I still believe that and work towards that with the employment I choose, but I am beginning to see how those choices are probably making my life harder. I still don't know if I would choose another way. Sell my soul to work for Best Buy? Sure, but only if it's in their corporate giving department.

Today at the end of the super fun six minute meeting I made one last comment. I told the panel that I understood part of the problem they are faced with is making an exception for just me. I understood that they couldn't really do that just for me and I wanted them to know that I couldn't agree more. I want the policy changed back for everyone who's taking MS medicine. I want the "specialty med list" to go away. That this isn't a fight for me alone. That's what I realized today of the role I probably have. Our lives are always bigger than our own imagined personal discomforts. Medica's actuaries actually have made an error in assuming I was the ordinary, or average. I'll make more noise about this, even if I don't want to.. and I don't honestly. I don't want to show my vulnerable side to the world all the time, but in the words of a very special person, sometimes to win a fight you have to start a fight. Healthcare shouldn't be for the privileged and mostly it already is. I'll fight this fight with Medica and I might lose, but it won't be because I gave up or in. So that's why I post this here today. It's about pushing aside the idea that my privacy is more important.

In the past two months I've spoken with the Attorney Generals office, the Department of Health, the Department of Commerce, and just yesterday the Minnesota Disability Law office. I've talked to my executive director of my organization, my doctors, the pharmaceutical company that makes my medicine, my co-workers, my friends, my family, and now the general public by posting this here. I need to step outside what makes me feel uncomfortable and push harder at this already tender spot. I won't tell you that I haven't cried about this. It does make me feel sad and I think that is normal, but that shouldn't stop me from moving forward with what I think is right.

Spanks

2006-11-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

I don't have enough space here to say all the things I have in my life to be thankful for. I bike commuted into work today and it was really hard. Round trip it's about 30 miles and about 14 times today on my ride in I wanted to not be riding in. So, doing the math on that it was nearly every mile I felt less than stellar. Every mile I tried to give myself a break and remind myself that it was the first day back, in the cold, and I should go easier on myself. My body and fitness felt ok, but I couldn't adjust to the cool weather and I had a little bit of a headwind, but I persevered and felt happy (at the end) that I stayed with it. I know the route well and I know all the places I could have picked up the bus, or called my brother and just called the whole thing off, but sometimes you just have to push through the uncomfortableness of it all. I wasn't miserable; I was just not feeling it today. I have the return trip yet tonight and hopefully I have enough lights to make my way safely.

What I did like about today was that I forgot I was on a bike. I realized I've moved to an entirely different level of comfort with my bike. My feet clip in and out of the pedals without much thought of doing so. I can be stretched out on that bike for an hour or so and not feel any soreness of sitting in the saddle or having no ache in my lower back or any burn in my quads. The uncomfortable part came only from my mind and sometimes that is the most difficult to push away. Your body can send you signals that it wants to quit and those signals are hard to deny. One can usual figure out pretty quick if the physical pain is serious or just an annoyance that won't do any harm if you keep going, however, when the mind gets derailed it's almost impossible (for me) to get back on track. Today I had to continuously refocus and remind myself that my body wasn't hurting, that I was just uncomfortable, and that it wouldn't last forever. That it was only an hour. That I should smile. That I should look around. That I should be thankful.

I arrived at work and I was tired, but I was happy. It made me realize the effort that I had made and that I worked and that I tried, even when I didn't want to. It made me even more thankful that my body still works for me and that the MS is still cutting me some slack. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for those who surround me and love me, even with all my imperfections.

Have a safe holiday to those of you reading this.

Two weeks?

2006-11-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite pics. Me (in blue with white helmet) talking to the locals in San Gimignano, Italy. Oh I miss being there...

Biking in the warm Tuscan sun. How come Piper and I look like we are suffering and my friend Pete is just smiling?

I haven't ridden my bike at all this week. Or this past weekend. Actually this past Sunday marked a week since I'd been in the saddle. And before that it was almost 2 weeks. I miss it.

I've been running more as the weather gets colder and trying to maintain some fitness that way, but I am having a hard time dressing in full winter gear getting out on my bike. I am not sure why as I normally don't mind the cold and actually do better in the cold than in the heat in regards to exercise. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that it's dark when I find I can ride these days and darkness makes it feel colder.

So, I'm a wuss.

No more I say! I am resolving here, right now, that starting next Monday (the 20th) to get back out there and just toughen myself up for winter. Acclimate, if you will. I will start being thankful and stop whining. Also I plan to stuff myself on Thanksgiving (I love all that food ) so I should probably start burning some of those calories now.

I miss this guy

2006-11-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine yesterday (whom happens to be a Republican) accused me of voting strictly along party lines. Saying that I only vote on the side with the person who has DFL behind his or her name. I mostly agreed at first, but then realized that isn't entirely true. I support Jim Ramstad and he's a Republican, and I agonized about voting for Hatch. I wanted to vote for Hutchison, but when it came down to it, it was a race against Pawlenty and I wanted him gone. While Hatch wasn't my first choice he still out ranked Pawlenty and I had to throw my vote where it had the most pull. Instant Run-Off Voting will help with this problem in the future and maybe, just maybe we'll get someone back like Paul Wellstone, but probably not. He was a rare and special individual who was so important. I think for certain he'd want us to keep the good fight up. He's missed so much most days, but his absence seems so much more prominent during times like this, for the obvious reasons. The democrats won back the House in this election and I don't know if that means anything will change. Time will show us all. I'm convinced that it's not about doing it "better than the Republicans", but more the idea that we can just do better, period. Wellstone said it best. "We all do better when we all do better."

Vote! Vote! Vote!

2006-11-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

Vote - November 7th, 2006 Volunteer! Be Involved! I plan to vote and volunteer and then I plan to drink while watching the results come in. Either it will turn into a celebration or the alcohol will be used as a way to dull the pain if things swing the wrong way.

tech tech technical difficulties

2006-11-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my friend Sander from St. Louis said to me in an email yesterday and I quote:

"I was reading your blog. You better not stop writing stuff!"

and I pause. I have been getting email from folks telling me to keep writing, and I am surprised and unsure what to do. I don't like the online diary idea. I only opened this blog because I wanted to share my Europe bike ride with the great people who donated money to help me get there. So, I don't know what to do. Sander is pretty much right about everything, so I feel like I should listen to whatever he says I should do.

I think I'll try it for awhile and see how it goes. I just get busy. I am private. I tend to be wrong about most things. So with those three stellar facts, we'll see how long it takes until someone emails me pleading that I stop writing.

When in doubt stay in the rotary

2006-10-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

A mantra that title line is. Mostly it was a joke while in Europe, as traffic circles are very common there. While driving and you happen to find yourself in a rotary and you aren't sure which side to exit on, one should just stay in the rotary --or at least that's what we'd say while trying to support the driver while we frantically looked at the map. I find that lately that particular saying fits with my mood. When in doubt, just simply stay and just sit with what you don't know and think before you act. Sort of along the same lines of that old saying "measure twice, cut once." A lot of friends, and some family, are in transition right now and mostly I can't help them, but I'd like to. I'd like to tell them what to do or have them do what I think is right, but that's not really reasonable. Mostly they need to make up their own minds, and lately a few of them are unsure and, at times, even afraid. Change is hard and it can make someone feel very isolated and alone while going through it, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should try and push that away or try to make it go faster just to be done with it. A lot of the time we learn the most about ourselves when the shit is hitting the fan, and even more so you find out who your real friends are during that same time. So, this is to say, for all of you out there who might be going through change.....remember this.. that you only have to do what you have to do for you, and most importantly in your own time and only when you feel ready. Until then and when in doubt, I say to you, as I look at the map of life, stay in the rotary.

And the site meter says...

2006-10-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

(this is a picture of me and my friend Dave in Europe. Dave is obviously thinking of something much more serious and I am probably smiling becaue I just spotted another place to buy gelato)

Every week I get a report that tells me the traffic on my website. Sorry to everyone that has been stopping by and there hasn't been anything new posted. People, my life isn't that interesting...really :)

My intentions were never to keep this blog going once I got back from Europe. I put my commuting pictures up here because it was easier than sending them all to my friend Sander via e-mail. At any rate, my life is full and good and I am slowing shifting back into the real world. This will mean that I probably won't do anymore posting as I don't find my life 'blog worthy'. I know a lot of you have sent me notes and messages saying I should keep this up, but I feel a little funny about sharing too much online. I do, however, love to read some other blogs a lot. We all live a little different and that's good so I encourage those that do blog and who do enjoy it to keep it up and keep me entertained. Some good sites I like a lot are here:

www.jooliedoolie.com - my best friend
www.smithersmpls.com - local biker boy and he also a likes to talk politics (man after my own heart)
www.blogs.citypages.com/dcody - a bit raunchy at times, but she says some funny things
www.dooce.com - not a regular site I visit, but it's on my favorites and sometimes it's good
www.stephanieklein.blogs.com - A very different girl than me, and I don't always agree with her, but sometimes she can write something so "right on" that I always find myself giving her a second chance

So there you go... since I am a slacker and like to be a bit more private, maybe you'll enjoy some of these other blogs and they will feed your blog hunger :)

Hope you are all doing well.

Thank you Sander

2006-09-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I was emailing with my friend Sander in St. Louis and I was lamenting about my bike commute in to work. I was complaining about the traffic and that people drive to close and yadda, yadda, yadda... and Sander made the comment,
'you should take pictures'.... at first I thought there is no way. Mostly because it's hard enough to trek 14 miles one way and with traffic the LAST thing I want to do is pull out a camera along the way.. I just want to get to my destination. --EEEERRRTTT! (insert needle scratching off the record sound here) wait... Did I just say that?! How wrong is that!?!?! I almost can't believe I felt that way. Most of the time I go around living and telling folks that life is not about end points or destinations, that it's really about the journey.. it's about the ride, if you will.

So today I headed out to work and brought my camera with and it was an amazing experience. Biking commuting that distance is hard sometimes. People in their cars and trucks do drive to close most of the time and you are always on the defense. Always. People who are driving aren't expecting bikes and most of the time aren't watching for us. But even with that I realized today how wonderful it is that I can bike to work. How lovely 90% of the ride actually is.. and I am sort of embarrassed that I ever complained at all.

Lots and lots of people ask me about my commute to work and what route I take and how long it takes. Here is a short breakdown. I ride from NE Minneapolis to Bloomington. It's about 14 miles one way. It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I'll ride most of the year if the roads aren't too snow/ice covered. This year I'd like to ride a lot more in the winter and am thinking about setting up my mountain bike with studded tires. The route I take varies a bit, but not too much. I head out of NE and cross the river at the Stone Arch bridge in downtown. Then I take Portland south to 42nd street and the head west. From there it's tedious and boring to all those who don't live here. So, if you REALLY want to know I'll tell you, but maybe over coffee :)

Anyway, it was an interesting experiment today and I am encouraged at how much fun it was that I was able to ride my bike today and that I have that option. More people should try it and see for themselves. Don't let winter or cold weather deter you.. enough layers and it's all good.

So good! As Homestar says.

Thank you Sander for throwing out the idea. It was a different way to look at what I was taking for granted. I realized how easy it is to complain and that I should do less of that and just enjoy the ride.

Be well all and I hope you enjoy the photos below.

My Commute from NE Mpls to Bloomington - What I See Along the Way

2006-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Smiling and hoping this pretty face makes it to Bloomington safe and sound. I am smiling even though I just realized it's raining... 14 miles to go in the cold and rain.

Last chance to take the VW instead of the Trek. I opted for the two wheel option.

My block - Fillmore Street NE Minneapolis. This is taken as I ride away from my house. It's raining.

Just before heading into Downtown, I go through part of the U of M campus. Usually traffic is much heavier as I cross here, but today it's pretty quiet.

2006-09-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

The lovely Stone Arch Bridge. I love this part. Just heading into Downtown Minneapolis from the northeast side of the city where I live.

The Mississippi. My favorite part of the commute.

Downtown Minneapolis. Crossing Washington and heading south.

The fine city of Minneapolis.. it really is pretty easy to bike in.

My first highway crossing on the commute and I am so thankful not to be in my car! Even if it's raining and cold. I'd take this anyday.

Leaving Downtown!

Heading south on Portland Ave out of Downtown.

2006-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ugly Hwy crossing. Suckers!!! I almost feel bad for them in down there in their cars!

This made me laugh out loud. I was happy to have my camera to catch it. Even the bus drivers have Twin Fever!

Fall in Minneapolis and can you tell it's also election season?

A hop on the bike path around Lake Harriet for a about four blocks, but it's so pretty how can I resist?

A really nice glimpse of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. I am starting to see that this riding to work does not suck.. even if it's 40 degrees...

Wow, this riding to work isn't so bad. It's worth it.

A baseball field in the offseason.. This makes me think about my dad. Hi Dad!

2006-09-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Lovely Minnehaha Creek. I get to look at this on various parts of my ride in. It's really pretty now with all the trees changing colors

SW Minneapolis, a quiet neighborhood. It really is lovely to be able to ride.

My last Hwy crossing. I cross over major highways four times on commute.

If I ever die on this commute this will be the road that it happens on. This is the last quarter mile of my route to work and it's the frontage road to Hwy 494. People (fuckers, as I call them) drive very fast and very close to me on this road. I told my boss one day upon arriving to work that if she was on her way in and saw me dead, killed, by a motorist on this frontage road to please drag my ass in to Minneapolis and let me take my last breath there. I do not want to die on a frontage road in Bloomington.

Arrived! Safe and sound!!

A group of good people doing good work

2006-09-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

This group of individuals came together to make a positive difference. We all raised at least $4000 and some donated at much as $25,000! It was the first year with a new group doing a ride to raise money for the MS Society and it was a success. Next year we hope to double the number of participants and continue to make a difference. Collectively we shared the love of Italy, good food, amazing riding and made many new friends and memories. I always come back from these events changed and better. I hope some of you will make the journey with me next year.

babysteps back into the real world

2006-09-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Babysteps....babysteps. That's what I say to myself when I am having a tough time adjusting to something. That something could be climbing a steep mountain on my bike, running a hard race, doing some god-awful house project, or in my current state, trying to transition back from riding my bike and not thinking about work for 2 weeks. I am suffering right now and having a very difficult time transitioning back. Please, there has to be someone out there who will pay me to ride my bike.

All good things must end

2006-09-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is it

2006-09-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who donated, helped me, supported me, and loved me enough to get me to Tuscany. I've been back exactly one week now and it almost feels like a month has passed. I come back to my life here and to the work on my desk. I slid back into my life and into the unending battle of just trying everyday to find my way. I try hard and I constantly feel like I am learning all the time. All that happens to us each day, I constantly remind myself that all I have control over is how I react. I remember being on a bike ride with my friend John and we stopped for coffee and I made the comment that nothing seems to work out like I think it's going to and his response was "rarely do things work out like we think they are going to".

I dunno, but I find peace in that statement. I find comfort knowing that I don't know. It makes me stop and smile more now. It makes me nicer to the crabby person who is checking me out at the grocery store. I remember that I don't want to be standing in line buying groceries, and it's probably a pretty safe bet that the person checking me out wants to be there even less. It's those thoughts that make me stop and ask how their day is, and then really listen to the answer.

I don't always do good by those around me. Sometimes I stumble on my way to try and find happiness. Sometimes I hurt people around me that I don't mean to.. with simple things like my disregard and not calling my friends or family enough, or sending an email or picking up the phone. Sometimes I get wrapped up in all things 'me'. I don't like that about myself, but at least I can say that being aware of something is at least the first step in making a change. And not to be afraid of change. And mostly not to be afraid of life. By not being afraid of making mistakes you find courage in knowing it's ok to fail. Falling down teaches us how to get back up. And we can all get back up even when it's hard.

I hope sometimes when I ride my bike to work in the rush hour traffic that just one person --just one-- sees me and feels inspired. Inspired, maybe not to ride a bike, but to do something outside of their comfort zone. Inspired to give the next bicyclist on the road just a little more room as they pass by. Inspired maybe to take a different road home and see something new.

When I found out I had MS it took me about 2 minutes to realize I needed to fight this out. Because of MS I've ridden my bike in the French Alps and the Spanish Pyrenees. I've rolled along on two wheels through Tuscany. I've tasted wines from the regions. I've licked the salt from the Mediterranean off my lips. I've laughed alongside of some of the most magnificent people as I clicked my gears and cranked the pedals. I have not given up or in.

I am back stateside and fall and the cooler weather is setting in. I layer on the clothes and I head out alone and hope for the best.

Tomorrow morning I will look at myself in the mirror and be happy to see the person staring back at me. I'll hop on the bike. I'll feel my tired legs as I climb out of Northeast Minneapolis and I'll smile. I'll try harder to not resist so much and that the only thing I know for sure is that change is going to come. I'll love as much as I can what I have today, what is around me, what is given to me and I'll give back as much as I can. And at the end of each day I'll know I tried, even if I failed, and know that sometimes courage is that quiet voice at the end of the day that says "I will try again tomorrow"

Love to you all as I sign off of this blog. To all my biking friends we say "keep the rubber side down" and to everyone else I say thank you for helping me fight. Wellstone said it best when he said "We all do better when we all do better"

Piper

2006-09-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Two years I traveled with Piper and she's one of the funniest girls. She is also smart, kind and indulges me when I suggest we go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea at midnight. She is also the other committee member who made this trip possible. It took one phone call and conversation and I remember her saying "Let's do it!" She is remarkable. Thanks Piper for being you.

She's like a sister

2006-09-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

Let me see that picture

2006-09-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

Pete and Anne

2006-09-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

Because you raised $8000 for a disease that I have. Because you love me. Because I can call Pete at 2am and tell him my car is broken and he'll help me. Because Anne did some of the most difficult biking and still loved the trip. Because I have known you both for 12 years and you've always supported me, housed me and treated me like family. Thank you!

Joe

2006-09-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

The first year I did the Europe bike ride I was not prepared. I didn't know what biking in the mountains meant. I suffered and felt like a failure. The first night after the first hard day on the bikes I saw Joe at dinner and I said to him "I feel like a failure" and he looked at me and said.. "just let it go, don't worry about it, there is tomorrow and you'll be fine" He doesn't know this, but his saying that carried me and made me get up the next day and try again. And come back the second year and then the third year. I want to say thank you. Thank you for traveling with me for three years in Europe. For encouraging me, making me laugh -- a lot, and for making me a better biker. I can't imagine doing these trips without you. Without your energy, your smile, your spark. Thanks Joe.

The weekend wrap-up

2006-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend I plan to write the last post on this blog. I'll post some of my favorite pictures and try and recap the trip and some highlights. Stay tuned for the season finally!

Crepes in Paris

2006-09-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

On the advice of my friend Sander we ate crepes from a street vendor in Paris. So good.

Via Paris

2006-09-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

On my way back home I had a stop over in Paris. I'd never been there so I did most of the touristy things. I did wait in line and go to the very top of the Eiffel Tower

Meena and Sander

2006-09-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Sander and Meena. Sander rode with me last year on this bike ride in Spain. He's a great guy and I was so happy when he brought this wife Meena along this year. They really are an amazing pair.

Tall boy from the factory

2006-09-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

With my friend Sander, whom I also rode with last year in Europe. He's tall. He does not play basketball. He is 5'18. Traveling with him and his amazing wife Meena was great. They are spectacular!

Hey this isn't my bike!

2006-09-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

I dunno this feels too big

2006-09-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

Biking along a ridge in Tuscany.. you can see my friends on the road ahead. The biking on this day was amazing. We were just outside a small town called Volterra.

2006-09-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

Resting in Tuscany.. happy

Stateside

2006-09-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone. I am back and trying hard to focus on work and all the stuff of regular life. Here are a few pictures for today. Tonight at home I will vet through all that I have and tell you some more stories. This is a nice shot my friend Peter took. The trip was unbelievable and I feel really lucky to have spent two full weeks in Europe and riding my bike. I'll have some great updates later tonight. Lots of stories to share.

2006-09-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

Words won't do this justice, it's really lovely in Tuscany

Another Rough Day of Riding Bikes

2006-09-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Just me and my girl Piper

2006-09-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

When were weren't on bikes we were still having fun

2006-09-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Tuscany

Siena

2006-09-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

I am hoping to post more pictures tomorrow. I am not able to do it from this internet cafe I am currently at. The trip have been amazing. The riding hard, but great and today is actually the last day the whole group is together. We arrived in beautiful Siena this afternoon and I am just posting this quickly and then going out exploring. The Tuscany experience have been a very memorable one. The people, the food, the biking... all almost undescribable. I promise to post more pictures to show you all. Really I don't have the writing talent to do it justice, so I hope the pictures will do.

The group has been great and they are all wonderful people. I cannot believe how fast the time went and I am not sure how to talk about it all..

More tomorrow.

Have bike, will travel

2006-09-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a taste of some of what my life has been the past week. It's been amazing. I posted a little longer note after all the pictures. I hope you enjoy them. Things are really wonderful here and I can't even really tell you in words how beautiful this trip has been so far.

All the hard work of raising $4000 for the MS society is done and now I just sit back and smile. It's wasn't easy to get the news that I had MS, and climbing these mountains on my bike, well, that's not so easy at times either, but it's the downhill part that makes it all worth while. We all have our obstacles in life that challenge us and it's during those times that one finds out what you're made of. It's the hard stuff that makes the sweet stuff in life sweeter. I swear. I wouldn't lie to you. Because of MS I am here and what an amazing journey it's been so far.

More soon.
Love and thanks to all of you who donated to the MS Society.

Italy

2006-09-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Lovely

Portofino Italy

2006-09-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

Piper and me

Fun pics

2006-09-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

Enjoying life in Portofino.

Starting the ride on Sunday

2006-09-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

Checking out maps. Everything looks the same.. vineyards and windy roads.

Our ride leader - calling all Spanish girls

2006-09-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is our ride leader Marc. Originally from the US, he now lives in France. Speaks both French and Italian and is currently looking for a Spanish girlfriend to learn that language. He claimes it was his Italian girlfriend that helped him improve his Italian. He also wants to learn to speak German. I speak no Spanish or German so I am out of the running to be his girlfriend.

Riding with Joe

2006-09-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Joe is our fearless leader and a dear friend. His is the owner of the Destination Cycling and makes this all happen. This is my third Europe ride with Joe and he's one of the greatest.

Lunch

2006-09-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Riding Radda Italy

2006-09-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Friends

Riding in Radda, Italy - Sunday

2006-09-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

It's not too bad here

Sunday - riding

2006-09-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Piper and I riding and looking at some vineyards. Oh gee 5 more days of this. I am really sorry you have to be at work.

Today - Sunday

2006-09-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

How I finished my day after riding...

cruiser bikes and bars go well together

2006-09-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

At one of the hotels they let us use cruiser bikes to go out to the bars. Life does not really suck for us.

This is what we do at night

2006-09-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

Drink wine, eat, goof off.. Life does not suck for Peter.. flanked by three babes

Life in Chiavarti Italy

2006-09-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

Look into my eyes.. do you think I am coming home? This is post ride and enjoying the beach. Heaven.

Alpe D'Huez

2006-09-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

Before the climbing started.. so excited. 8 miles.. up and up and up

climbing the adh

2006-09-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

I must not be working hard enough if I am still smiling

During the climb..

2006-09-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

Challenging folks to race me the last 4k! If you look closely enough you will see the guy laughing at me. He wasn't laughing when I left him in my dust.

At the top!

2006-09-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Success, I made it to the top of Alp d' Huez! Yay!!! Where are my podium boys?

Tuscany

2006-09-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is going to be one heck of a posting. First off Wi-fi has been not so available, and to be honest I haven't been looking too hard. I am loving life. For starters for all you bikers out there who have not been to Europe. Come. For those of you who have been and have not been to Italy, Tuscany, to be more specific.. pack your bags and hop on a plane. I am telling you there is nothing like it. I have biked in the French Alps and in the Spanish Pyrennes and they are spectaular, but this trip has been by far the most beautiful.

the group is now complete. We all came together yesterday and met up in Florence. We are now in a town called Radda. The hotel we are at is very very very nice. I am coming back.

Ok, I don't want to blab on, I'll post some pics with descriptions to give you a taste of what my life has been this past week.

The Alp D'Huez was fun. For all you bikers out there and the ones who give me a hard time for having a triple up front... I will have you know I made it my goal to stay in my middle chain ring and completed that goal and felt great. Although at the final switchback at the top I almost gave in, but all pain is temporary and I stuck it out.

Ok, off to pics. I'll update more later, but after seeing some of these pics you may not want to talk to me for awhile. Right now it's Sunday at 3:30 in the afternoon. We just did a 50 mile ride with 4000 ft of climbing. All of it breathtaking. The rest of the day is ours and wait till you see pics of the pool we have that overlooks the vineyards. The town we are in is known for it's Chianti.

The weather has been fabulous and the outlook for the week looks good. It's a great group of folks and every morning I am amazed at them all.

More soon..
Reb

Rough day

2006-09-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up at 8. Then I put on bike gear. The skies were clear and blue. It was about 70 degrees. No wind. I rode out of town up a long climb. Then decended into the next town. Then turned around biked back up the second long climb. Then did a long fast decent. Then turned around and climbed up again and just looked over the Mediterrain Sea. On my way back as I was doing a super fast long decent a bee flew into my helmet and stung me. I have never in my 33 years been stung by a bee. So at least I finally got that out of the way, I just wish it wasn't while I was going downhill at 30 mph.

I biked back into our little town and spent the rest of the time at the beach in my new bikini that I bought at this local shop. I then fell asleep listening to little kids playing and listening to them speak Italian and happiness can be conveyed in any language. And then after a few hours of oh just lying around I got up.. wandered through this beautiful town... ate some gelato... walked some more. Smiled at people. Took some pictures. Eventually made it back and took a bath and dressed for dinner. At dinner I drank more wine, laughed and thought about doing this all over again on Friday. Yep. Sounds good.

Saturday we meet up with the rest of our group, but tomorrow there will be more of the above and it's been absolutly heaven. I cannot describe it in words. I promise tomorrow to try and show you in pictures.

Thank you to everyone who donated to the MS Society and supported me on this journey. You all need to come with me next year. I just cannot relay virtually how wonderful Europe is this time of year. Hopefully I will be able to show you in pictures soon. And if not here.. maybe over a beer next weekend when I get back.

Blog problemos

2006-09-07T14:08:00.001-07:00

Not really sure if I am able to recover this blog. Having some technical problems.. and frankly the beach has been more than I can handle at this moment.. so once I get hanging out in the sun and riding my bike out of my system, I'll then see if I can fix this..

Hopefully more soon

Blog problemos

2006-09-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

Not really sure if I am able to recover this blog. Having some technical problems.. and frankly the beach has been more than I can handle at this moment.. so once I get hanging out in the sun and riding my bike, I'll then see if I can fix this..

Hopefully more soon