I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me during my training for the AIDS ride. My sister and I just went to the lasagna dinner and opening ceremonies which are always moving and remind us why we do this ride. We'll be riding out from Krause Springs (see pictures below) which is a campground with a spring fed pool and gorgeous trees. After the ride, we can take hot showers, get a massage and go swimming.

I'll post again on Sunday with some photos from the ride. Please pray for no rain!!!

See you later!!

WBW - You again?

We're supposed to post photos of ourselves in a favorite accessory that we wore over and over, but I don't have any good ones for this theme, so I thought it would be a good time to post this childhood photo of myself. I've been waiting for this moment. I'm wearing one of the strangest concoctions of accessories (the Go Fug Yourself ladies would have a field day with me), and it can only be described as "Happy Yet Disheveled Orphan Child with Kool-Aid Mustache".

Behold....




Yes, you may thank me now.

I Didn't Pee My Pants!

Perhaps you read my post about the radio spot I was going to do on Friday? Well, turns out it was recorded rather than live (whew!!) and is going to play butt-ass early on Sunday morning on Majic 95.5. It went really well, and I actually enjoyed it. When I got into work Friday after recording the interview, I sent the ride director an email thanking him for letting me do the spot with him, and to let him know what a wonderful person he is. Because he is SO wonderful. And here is his email response:

"You beat me to it. I was going to write and thank YOU. I can't tell you how proud I am that you are part of this Ride. Thanks for giving up your morning to be there, you did a PERFECT job. I wish I could just carry you around in my pocket for all the times I speak for the Ride! and YOU are the one who is making this happen!

I'll see you in a week! Yahoo! Thanks again Nappy!"

OMG, I about fell out of my chair when I read that because I want to carry HIM around in MY pocket. Sigh.

In other news, my sister and I went to see The Notorious Bettie Page which was FANTASTIC. Gretchen Mol did an outstanding job and DAMN that woman has a perfect body. She had to get naked quite a bit since Bettie Page did. I learned a lot about her---like she loved her some Jesus.

We also saw the trailer for Nacho Libre starring Jack Black as a Mexican wrestler. I cannot tell you how funny this looks. I actually almost peed my pants from laughing so hard during the trailer. It's from the writers of School of Rock and the producers of Napoleon dynamite. How can you go wrong with that?

Sad

Gay Simmons-Posey






By Claire Osborn
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, April 19, 2006

When Gay Simmons-Posey didn't return from her Monday bike ride for hours, her husband said he became concerned.Ron Posey said he called his wife's cell phone three times and got no answer. He got in his car at their home in the Courtyard subdivision just north of Lake Austin and started driving the route along Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360) that she usually rode, he said."I saw the traffic blocked off, and I started getting sick to my stomach because I knew what had happened," Posey, 40, said.He found out that his wife, also 40, had been struck and killed by a car that had fled the scene. Authorities were still looking for the driver of the car, which they think was gray or silver and might have front-end damage.Simmons-Posey was riding north on Loop 360 about 12:30 p.m. when she crossed the exit ramp for Bee Cave Road, said Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.As she was crossing the ramp, she had her left arm extended, apparently to show that she planned to continue riding north on Loop 360, Mange said.A trailer hauled by a van swerved and clipped her, Mange said. Simmons-Posey fell off her bike and was hit by another vehicle headed north on Loop 360, Mange said. The driver of the van stopped, but the second driver did not, Mange said.Posey said he and his wife were training to ride in the BP MS 150 Bike Tour from Houston to Austin this weekend.They had done the ride for several years, as well as other rides for charity. Simmons-Posey was passionate about bicycling and wasn't worried about her safety, her husband said."She expressed concern about my safety," he said.Simmons-Posey was a human resources manager for Activant Solutions, her husband said.

The couple was planning a vacation in Spain in May and had been taking Spanish lessons to prepare, he said.Simmons-Posey grew up in Louisiana and graduated with a political science degree from Southern Methodist University, her relatives said.A good photographer and painter, she was very athletic and devoted to her family, one of her brothers said."She comforted me and encouraged me and was a very good sister," Chad Simmons said.She almost died after she was ejected from her car in a collision in 1992 in Dallas, he said. She couldn't have children after the wreck and had to have her spleen removed, Simmons said."Her doctors told us she could not and would not live, so I kept praying for a miracle," said her mother, Annette Turner.Turner said she was scared by the bike rides her daughter did, and told her so."She said, 'Well, Mother, there is an element of danger, but you just have to do the things you love to do,' " Turner recalled.She liked doing charity rides because she wanted to do things for other people, her mother said."Gay always said, 'If I go through life and have not contributed something to society, I will have to consider life a failure,' " Turner said.Debbie Collins, one of Simmons-Posey's cousins, said Gay was never afraid to tackle problems and work through them."One of her favorite sayings was 'Life is not about the breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away,' " Collins said.Anyone with information about the car that left the scene is asked to call the Department of Public Safety at 997-4131.

I Haven't Peed My Pants.....Yet

By now, most of you know that I'm doing this bike ride thing in a little over a week. I'm not actually nervous about the ride at all. I feel like I'm in decent enough shape, I have trained hard and I'm ready. Here's what I haven't told you. About a month ago, the ride director (who is one of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting) emailed me and my sister and asked us if we would join him in a radio and TV spot for the ride.

Just us. Out of hundreds of people, he asked us.

I almost puked when I read his email.

I was so incredibly flattered, but my first reaction was HELL NO. I mean why me? I don't do the organized training rides (we train on our own), nor do I come to all the planned events. I don't get why he would want me to be on the radio. I'm not a stellar speaker in any sense.

My sister and I thought it over. She stepped up and decided that she would do the TV spot, so by process of elimination, I agreed to do the radio spot.

The TV spot got cancelled. The radio spot is tomorrow.

I'm having that sick feeling I used to get before an oral report in elementary school. That horrible feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. The HOPE that:

"Maybe I'll get sick and won't have to go to school!" (I never get sick.)
"Maybe this time the teacher won't go alphabetically!" (I'm an "A" in the alphabet.)
"Maybe I'll need a root canal and won't be able to talk!" (I've never had a cavity.)
"Maybe!?!?!"

I am seriously nervous. I actually said to myself (internal monologue, mind you), "You are smart and funny and people like you. Just be yourself, and you'll be fine." Damn Stewart Smalley. It HAS helped though. I just have to be myself and answer some questions about this ride. I know why it's important and why I want to do it. Doesn't sound hard when you look at it from a rational, logical point of view. Problem is, I'm not always rational and logical, and worry almost never is.

So, if you live in Austin, and you hear me on the radio tomorrow (Mix, Majic or The Beat), and I'm totally terrible, please lie and say I was wonderful. I don't want constructive criticism on this one.

Booooo, Hisssss

So Katie Holmes had her baby. I told my husband that Katie and Tom named their baby Suri. His response? "I'm not so Suri about that name." GROAN.

Something to Keep in Mind

This is what scares me to death (pun not intended) about cycling:

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=4779058&nav=menu73_2_1

360 is heavily used for cycling in Austin since it is so hilly and there are some beautiful views. The downside is that cars go anywhere from 55-75 mph. I can't say that I don't worry about getting hit when I ride because I do. It terrifies me when huge trucks or semis drive by going 65 mph because they make your bike wobble a little. I have visions of toppling over into the road.

Anyway, the next time you see a cyclist, just be careful and remember that they have every right to be on the road, just like a car or a motorcycle.

That's my 2 cents.

Not So Fast, Gloaty McGloaterson

So after my "Look at How Lucky I Am" post, I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning from the fish tacos I ate after my doctors appointment and before my massage. Let's just say it wasn't pretty. Hmmm, Christmas miracle, indeed. That will teach me to call myself lucky or gloat or brag or whatever you want to call it. I don't think I'll ever eat another fish taco again, which is sad since I love them. On a good note, my sister and I rode 40 miles on Saturday (this was before the nasty food poisonising hit) and we only have one more weekend to train before the ride is here. I love riding, but I'll be really glad to have my weekends back. Plus, it was 95 degrees today which is not okay with me, especially when I'm riding 50 miles on a bike.

It's a Christmas Miracle in April

This afternoon, I weighed almost a pound less at the doctor than I did at home this morning. Did you hear me? Almost a pound LESS. As in, not as much. Did I say less? Yes, I said less. It think that might qualify for Ripley's Believe it or Not or That's Incredible (remember that show?)

The wealth doesn't stop there. You thought it couldn't get any better, but it does...IT REALLY DOES!

I bought 8 items at the Gap for $65 (including capri jeans, a sweater for next winter and pants) AND I got to leave work early today (granted it was to go to the doctor, but STILL) AND I'm going to watch Walk the Line with my husband tonight (I've seen it...Joaquin=YUM...I might gain back that pound just looking at him) AND I'm currently drinking a nonfat caramel macchiato AND I just got a 30 minute massage AND I have tomorrow off for Good Friday AND I'm having a delicious brunch with my mom and sister tomorrow.

Do I have it really good or what?

(Go say hi to Isabel. She's having a baby any day now!!!)

WBW - Quick Break from the Break

I'm posting WBW photos because I love my mom so much. I don't have any pregnancy photos of her, but I have some other good ones.

Here she is at 8-years-old:


Here are my parents at a UT game in 1968 before they were married. I think my mom was 19.

Again in 1968 on the lake:

And sometime around 1977 with me:

Taking a Break...

Not forever, just for a little while. Things are hectic right now, and I just need to take time to concentrate on other things. Be back soon.....(you'll be glad and surprised to know I dusted AGAIN this weekend. I think it's becoming a new habit.)

Let's Hope Not

Okay, you people, I'm not nesting or pregnant. I think I'm just messy and fed up with it. I'm sure I'll go back to my sloth-like ways once it's 100 billion degrees outside and too hot to even think about getting up and cleaning. I'd like to think I'm turning over a new leaf, but history shows that probably isn't the case.

Speaking of sloth, what do you working people eat for lunch? Because I don't have time (read: can't get my ass out of bed) to fix my lunch in the mornings (don't even tell me to make my lunch at night), I always end up eating a Lean Cuisine, Amy's or Smart Ones frozen meal. They are a good way for me to know just how many calories I am eating; instant portion control, if you will. Problem is, I don't eat the beef or pork meals, so my selection is a tad limited and I get bored (no, Santa Fe Rice & Beans, I'm not talking about you). When I get bored, I go and do something like what I did today. I asked my co-worker to pick me up some fries since she was going out to get lunch (thanks K!). Yum and Bleh at the same time.

So back to my original question. What do you working folk eat for lunch? If your answer is that you prepare a wonderful, home-cooked meal every evening and bring in your leftovers, don't bother commenting. I choose to believe people like you are a myth.

Overheard on Sunday Night

I was ironing some shirts tonight (you read right, yes, I said IRONING) during the Intervention commercial breaks and here's what transpired:

Husband: Are you okay?
Me: Yeah, why?
Husband: I mean, are you on drugs or something? (Which was kinda coincidental, cause I was watching Intervention.)
Me: Ummm, noooo, why?
Husband: Cause you're, like, ironing and cleaning and stuff (I also dusted earlier in the evening. That's twice in one week...TWICE. Plus, I cleaned out a few of the kitchen cabinets and THREW STUFF AWAY!!! In the trash can! Never to collect dust again!)

I'm on a roll people, so you better watch out. I ironed 5 shirts tonight, and if I can do that, who knows what I'll do next. Maybe I'll clean the grout in the bathroom with a toothbrush. Maybe.