The beatings will continue until morale improves...

(warning: rant material)

It is sort of funny what your body does after a long car trip. In naivety, thought that I would be super rested, relaxed, and ready to take on the last few months of school. I mean, all it is is sitting, right- it's even better than standing! As much as I enjoyed myself during spring break, In fact it is quite the opposite. I am super tired, apathetic, and haven't even unpacked completely, finally finished laundry meerly because I was on what I like to call 'third tier' workout clothes and underwear. In most regards, life is pretty darn good, and I think that the stem of this slump is what I need to face every single day at school.

In regards to school, I have come to the realization that as much as I would like to pretend and tell myself that I do not care as much as I do, well, I still do. I keep running into road blocks and people who want to beat me down, and I have just had enough of it after almost four years of this garbage. I am taking boards this weekend, and the environment around me is condusive to about everything except going in there feeling confident . Well, that is their deal if they want to justify their pathetic existence by trying to bring others down to their level- I don't condone that. School has been eating away at me this year. Slowly and steadily. I have told myself that I just do what I need to do and not to sweat the small stuff.

Sobering reminder...

I found out today that the woman whom I bought my race wheels from (picured riding above), Kristy Gough, was killed by a car this weekend during a training ride in California. I didn't know her outside of the ebay transaction, but knew that she was both a very fast and respected cyclist and triathlete. It really touches home how vulnerable we are everyday while out training, or just in life, even when you meerly know someone as an aquantence. My heart goes out her family and freinds, and may we all give thanks to each day we are given.

More spring break madness... Days 5-9

More Day 5: Wednesday, 5 March

Got in a great ride out to a park east of town (don't remember the name). It was one of those things that I saw people on bikes heading in that direction earlier, and thought it would be a good direction to go for a ride. Turns out it was a good idea. Met up and rode with a new friend that I just met while out riding, Steve, a chef in town, and talked food for the majority of the ride. It's always a treat to have company to ride with. Got back into town, and rode around town in the abundant sunshine to check out the place on two wheels for a while.

Made it back to help show the house we were staying in, and headed out to dinner to meet the dentist with whom Matt was interveiwing with at Ernesto's italian restaurant . Awesome food- you know italian is good when the dish comes with 'a meatball on the side.' Later got to experience 'chute the box' and some beer at JC's tavern, which is the photo above. Matt looks very serious because I was taking his money- I'm thinking it was beginner's luck in my favor.

Day 6: Thursday, 6 March

Woke up and headed to Chow for some incredible breakfast with Matt which is pictured above. I had french toast made from hearty, crusty, bread with lemon vanilla ricotta and sauteed currants, cranberries, and raisins. Very very yummy. I hung out at Backporch coffee roasters and sipped coffee while taking care of some business finalizing my soon to be future job (more to come on that note once everything is final). Purchased some beans to remember the trip (I can't wait to press some tomorrow morning :)...). The guy working there thought that I was nuts buying 2# of beans. I thought he was nuts to question how one person couldn't drink 2# of beans in a reasonable time frame. Oh well. I was continually impressed with the friendliness of the citizens of Bend. I was always striking up conversations with people here and there. Met up with Matt for some awesome lunch at Typhoon Thai restraunt in downtown Bend. Another incredible meal. I went with the Pad Thai- yes, classic, but I love the dish, and love trying different variations on the theme. Later Matt and I rode up Mt. Bachelor, and also rode around town- the pictures were taken while descending- I love taking pictures on the fly on my bike. They never 'look good.' per se, but I love the randomness of a picture taken in motion.


Later visited a practice with Matt, and then got some wonderful food at Marz bistro. Got some dessert and drinks at Merenda after dinner, and called it a great night. Dinner and drinks always make it feel like a vacation. :)


Day 7: Friday, 7 March
Got up and knew it was my last day waking up to a view like this for breakfast.
Got some coffee and headed out of town. It was a treat to see the drive from Bend to Idaho during the day since the drive in was mostly in the dark. Stopped for some awesome shrimp tacos a Bajio and went for a short run in Boise. Driving through Idaho, we, er, had a little delay, which is pretty self explainatory by the picture below.

Good thing is that I got a pizza dinner out of the deal, which subsequently also marked the one year anniversary of when Matt and I ended up in the ditch outside of Ft. Morgan, CO on the way home from spring break last year and needed to spend the night there and had a pizza feast. In that instance, I was unfortunately the one buying. Fortunately, one can always find a Pizza Hut to order the 'car trouble special' which is usually some feastly combonation of the following: Hawaiian stuffed crust pizza, wings, breadsticks, cinnamon sticks, salad bar, and beer. Made it to Rock Springs, WY, where we called it a good day of driving, and got a room for the night.


Day 8: Saturday, 8 March
Drove from Rock Springs, WY to Omaha, NE. Got in about 10:30 last night. Drank a lot of coffee- yum. Final time in the car: 53 hrs, 23 min round trip travel and driving in the towns. That is a lot. :)

Sundsy, 9 March
Woke up today, and realized that between going from Pacific time to Central DST, my body thought it was 3 hours earlier. Well, this meant that I bummed around for a long time in my pjs drinking coffee, trying to unpack, and whatnot. Was bummed that it was 32 deg F outside, and made an executive decision that there is no way that I am going on the trainer, especially since I have been spoiled with some beautiful riding. What this means is that I am taking my Mtn bike out riding today- I can stand it this cold when I am not going as fast, and that is what the MTB accomplishes is a good workout without as cold of a headwind. Got all bundled up, 3 baselayers, jacket, wool ski socks, thick fleece tights, bibs, balaclava, hat, glasses, hand warmers and two pairs of gloves. Gee, I wonder why it took me a while to get out the door. :) As always, once I got going, I was having fun, but I was pretty miserable the whole ride even with all that stuff on (yes, you can call me a wimp) . Rode the Keystone, then up around the (dried up) Lake Cunningham area for a bit, got some coffee to warm up at the new Scooter's Coffeehouse on hwy 36- great place, rode a bit more, and called it good for a ride. Its amazing how much longer rides take on a MTB that is essentially a single speed (shifters broken :)...). Thawed in the shower, and then did the dangerous bit of going to the grocer after a long ride, but not a post ride meal. Well, we'll just say that I filled my empty cupboard and fridge pretty nicely. Made some samosas for dinner. I had discovered some random pie crust in the freezer and decided to use it on some really really yummy samosas that were perfect dipped in mango chutney. I will definitely be making these again. Well, that is the end of the play by play of the last spring break of my life.

I come away from things ready to once again embrace the routine of regular, everyday life once again, which is I guess one of the goals of a vacation. Time to put in my final days on this thing called dental school.

Spring break!!!... Days 1-5...
(now with pictures! )

So, as many know, for the last spring break of my life, my friend Matt and I are driving out to Bend, OR. You may ask why, I say why not. Matt is looking to practice here and subsequently has business to do with that, and I am coming with to get out of Omaha, spend some time with good company, get in some good training, and just see the country. Between the two of us, with flights and brining with our bikes to train, it was a lot of $$$$ with us still being students. I figured I won't get the time to take an huge road trip like this in a really long time. You get to see a lot and experience so much more that you normally don't when you are in a plane.

Things are going great. Matt and I have made it to our final destination: Bend, OR. With all things said and done, it has been a really, really, really long time in the car, but we have seen our fair share of US via the good 'ol great American road trip. So, here I sit at Ka'va coffee in Bend, OR., enjoying the sunshine while sipping a latte and Matt is off at his interview. Life is pretty darn good. A little recap on what has happened, and what is yet to come.

Day 1: Saturday, 1 March
The night before we left, I received a phone call from some friends trying to red eye themselves from Madison, WI to Breckenridge, CO. Needless to say, I told them to stop in Omaha, spend the night at my place, and make their lives easier. At the very least, I told them to stop in and pick up some coffee and/ or some of the multitudes of Red Bull that I tend to keep on hand. They luckily chose the former, and stopped in and spent the night. It was great to see some of my Mad-town buddies, even if it was just for a short while. So, they left in the morning, I got a nice spin in on the trainer, packed up the car, then picked up Matt to hit the road. Drove the 'beautiful' drive across I-80 to head to Boulder to see and stay with Maria, Dave, Katelyn, and Keli. The highlight was the rising temperatures across the entire trip and the sweet truck stops along the way. It was 81 deg F in Ogalala, NE. Incredible. We honestly thought that my thermometer in the car was broken until we went outside!

Day 2: Sunday, 2 March
Went to bed with warm weather and dreams of riding in the mountains the next day, woke up to our bikes covered with snow on top of my car.

Wind and snow advisories took an attempt to Nordic ski out of the question, and so the elements took us to the CU rec center with Maria. For real.

We biked, ran, I did some core work. Inside. During spring break. haahah. I guess it is one of those times that you need to count your losses, and realize that there is nothing you can do but to make your own fun with the situation. Oh well.

We later checked out some of the shops on Pearl St in Boulder, and later had some drinks with Katrina from school, her friend Lauryn, and ragbrai buddy and Boulder resident, Mark. Great to sit and chat. Later got some dinner at 'The Med' Mediterranean restaurant in Boulder. The food was absolutely incredible. They had the most amazing bacon wrapped dates, mussels, and I ordered at pizza with duck confit, and roasted figs. Awesome food, but there was a catch, I got to enjoy it again, many times. Later that night, I found myself vomiting over a dozen times. The likely culprit: the meal that we had just enjoyed. This lead to a sleepless night, a febrile state, and some pretty horrible dehydration over the next days.

Day 3: Monday, 3 March
I was still vomiting in the morning, and got ready between trips to the porcelain god. I was just trying to keep water down, which wasn't working. Matt got in a nice ride in the mountains before we headed out. We left town with an empty yogurt tub in the car just in case, and headed in the direction of Salt Lake City. Matt drove like a champ across the hellish snow and wind in Wyoming, while I curled up in a ball in the passenger seat. The best analogy, is to that of the snow planet Hoth from Star Wars. Residents of Wyoming: I hereby compare your home to the hellish conditions only seen in science fiction and the resemelance is striking. See if you can tell which one is which.


Unfortunately, Matt's state deteriorated as we got closer and closer to Salt Lake City. We met up with classmate Nic and Heather for some dinner. Unfotunately, Matt and I were both meerly poking at our food at the awesome joint of Cafe Rio (the rumors are true, it is like Chipotle, but better!). I knew something was very very wrong when Matt didn't chow down Mexican food- unfortunately, the wrath of our meal the night before had started to take its toll on him. We spent the night with the Egberts and their beautiful home at the foot of the mountains in Salt Lake City, and Matt was now the one up all night in the bathroom. I think he counted five trips during the sleepless, febrile, night.


Day 4: Tuesday, 4 March
I was finally feeling better in the morning, and was the one who got to drive today while Matt was curled up in the passenger seat. Headed out in the morning with the final stretch of our trip ahead of us. Headed up into Idaho, which neither of us have been to. Some of it looked like the drive from Fargo to Grand Forks, ND (if you haven't done it- it is flat, flat, flat, with nothing except some agriculture and scrubby bushes), some of it was really pretty with rolling, snow covered mountains. Stopped in Boise, ID for some dinner at Taco Del Mar- both of our first 'real meals' in a really long time, and I got in a little run in, which actually felt really great considering how the past few days have gone. We finally crossed the border into Oregon, which on the far eastern side looked remarkably like driving through small towns in Iowa (for a minute I thought that we were driving into Cresco, IA) except for the fact that you don't pump your own gas. :) After a while, we were driving through beautiful, winding mountains while the sun was falling behind them, and finally got into Bend to spend the night at Matt's friends beautiful home.




Day 5: Wednesday, 5 March
We're both feeling better, and woke up to finally see the beauty that we have been driving through yesterday, which is absolutely spectacular. I am taking some time to soak up the scenery and catch up on life, and Matt is off to his interview. Getting in a ride in later, and enjoying the rest of the day with what this town has to offer. Should be good.

an intersting observation...

So, as mentioned, I have been pretty sick the past few days. Feeling much better today, but for the past few days I have been sick sick- like, in Ferris Bueller's day off, the scene where Cameron Frye is sitting in bed staring off into space with a pile of medicines and tissues- sick.

So, this has meant that I haven't trained since Sunday. Yes, I am going on three days without training, and besides driving me crazy, has brought up an interesting observation. I really don't know what to do with my time. Seriously.

For example, Sunday, I came home from my ride early, which subsequently left me with the majority of the afternoon open in addition to the evening. I don't remember the last Sunday that I have had the whole afternoon available since I am usually doing a long workout that takes up the majority of my day on Sundays- riding, running, some gym time. I slept for a while, then woke up, then studied for a little bit, surfed the 'net, I tried to watch TV but there is nothing on the 73 channels on basic cable, then I didn't really know what to do. I wanted to wash my bikes, but didn't feel well enough to do that. So, it got me thinking- what do people who don't train do with their time? I am serious. For example, what happens on 'normal' weekend days that does not involve swimming, biking, and running, and the usual morning coffee leading up to such events. I do not know.

I came up with the following ideas- sleep (but I am sleeping so much, and training so little that I can't sleep anymore), shop, eat, housework, watch TV, read, and drink. That is about it. I also realize that people with families like to spend time with their kids, spouse, etc, but neither apply to me.

So, I often get the question: 'How do you find time to train like that?' Before, I would just respond with answers such as 'I guess I just make time,' or 'you just make time for the things that you like to do...' Blah, blah, blah. Now I am going to get to the bottom of this and just return the question and say 'what do you do with the time that you would be training?' I'm sure that will fly over well.

So, if anyone does know what people do with their time, please inform me. I'm really bored, but hoping to be back in the swing of things tomorrow- going to try a spin on the trainer.

exam report:
national dental boards, written examination, part II, day 1

Felt pretty good with the studying that I have gotten in, and went into today feeling about as calm as I have ever walked into a Prometric testing center. After fighting a febrile illness for the past few days, I have unfortunately become reliant on NSAIDs and whatnot to keep me from shivering/ sweating/ couging all the time and today was no exception. Not the best way to take boards, but I guess sometimes this is what the world gives you. The worst part is that I didn't want to infect and/ or disturb everyone in the testing room, but I got sick outside of the window to reschedule the exam, and needed to show up today and take the test if I wanted to pass my boards.

Showed up today at the Prometric center, pretty buzzed off of the cold medicine that it took to get me out of bed and not shivering, explained my situation to the proctor in my squeaky barely audible voice, and asked if I could at least bring in some tea or hot water in a nondescript cup so I don't cough during the exam. No go; however, I was offered the private test taking room. Wow! I was a little reluctant at first, thinking it was going to be like the study rooms in a library where 90% of the time the person in there before you ripped a big fart before they closed the door. Once I got going, I fell in love with this special ed. test taking room! I got a full sized desk- I could even put my feet up on it while taking the exam, spaciousness, and no disturbances besides myself. They also had these awesome cinnamon candies that were perfect to keep me from coughing. After a while, the room got really cold, and I got my down vest and hat from the lobby. I was later told to take off of my hat because the cameras 'could not recognize me.' OK. I asked if they could do something about the temperature in the room then- bingo!- no problem, I got a space heater. So eventually, here I am, sitting in my own private sauna, taking national dental boards. I almost didn't want it to end so I needed to go out to my cold car in the parking lot.

So, between the private sauna, cinnamon candies, and free coffee in the lobby, I was pretty stoked about the whole testing situation. I just hope that the cold medicine didn't dumb me down even more than usual. No matter the result, day one is done!

favorite things...

so, I guess this is what happens when you feel like crap, fall asleep all afternoon, and wake later. You can't fall asleep again. Oh well, I guess this means another blog entry because I am sick of studying for boards.

Just some random musings on some little things in my life, nothing big, nothing novel, just the good stuff...

- Recent foodstuffs that I cannot get enough of:
- hummous/ hummus: although always a hummus fan, I have recently become obsessed with the stuff. I have been trying all different kinds, trying to weed out the ones that are 'good' because they are good, or 'good' because they like to hide some un-hummus like ingredients in there. I have found that this stuff ranges from 25- 90+ calories per serving depending on brand. My recent 'good' favorites include: Wild Garden brand and Melissa's Edamame hummous. In honorable mention comes the hummus from Baker's olive bar (a wild card in the nutrition dept) and the Costco pine nut variety courtesy of Matt- very yummy, but I think that they are hiding some crack in there or something because it is almost too yummy.
- cottage cheese or plain yogurt with mandarin oranges: I don't know what the deal is, but the flavor of mandarins is amazing! It is just enough fruit to taste good, and just enough sugar water to enhance it. Best of all, it is from a can!
- bell peppers and cucumbers: the vegetable snacking delight!
- chocolate covered prune bits- I never thought that these two things would even go together, but they are delightful, and come in a bag!
- and no, I haven't had any peanut butter yet... I stood my ground walking past the PB aisle at the grocer yesterday...
- Target archer farms brand high protein cinnamon cereal- I love cereal, but have never found one that actually fills me up without eating half of a box, so I shy away from it as a meal, but this one will keep the rumbles away until at least 10:30/ 11 on my belly's schedule, which is a good to excellent rating in my book.

- I am very excited that Patagonia has their new spring dresses out. I love to wear dresses all summer, and theirs are downright the best.

- I am toying around with the idea of not doing an Ironman next year. I know, a very, very, very long ways away, but sign ups start this summer if I want to do one. I don't even know where I will be living or working, but just the thought of focusing on something different might be good for me. I know that this season hasn't even started yet, and realize that. I'll probably cave and sign my soul away to WTC another time. For me, the lure of Ironman is something that remains for me to figure out, something that so many other factors play into besides S,B,R for a successful day- a day that I haven't had yet- a day that few ever get. It is something that one must understand, not conquer to succeed. It has a mystique that attracts me; however, other races have the raw power and pain that I find so attractive in these thoughts of focussing on shorter distances. I just think- Am I tough enough? who knows.

- I forgot that my car was black until I washed it this weekend. Wonderful!

- I don't understand why there are so few women cyclists.

- I keep my toes painted because I like it, and I don't need to look at what ugly color my toes are from running. I recently took my polish off, and was excited to see only one black toenail! I think that this is a new record!