I Saw Sunlight On Saturday

and it made me happy from the inside-out.

Sweet Baby Jesus, it's amazing what an afternoon spent in the sun can do to your head. Add on to that an excellent day spent shopping with a fun friend, and it's easy to believe that all is right with the world.

I made sure to store up a mess of that feeling inside, and my drunken-sunshine state carried me through most of today's greyness. But now I'm all out, and seem to be suffering from a sunlight hangover.

But talking about this afternoon, I spent some time out at roll:, getting some hands-on experience in changing flats, and adjusting gear and brake line tension. Believe it or not, in the past few years that I've been riding, I've never had a flat tire - I put it down to the fact that, excepting last year, all of my road cycling had been on a mountain bike, with tires that probably could've carried a monster truck down the street. Still, not an excuse for knowing-how-but-not-doing, so I'm glad I got to remedy it today.

PS: I am in full-on covet mode for a Mike and Chris bone-coloured light weight leather jacket that has no business being so expensive, or looking at me the way it does. And I will be actively avoiding stepping into Jinny's for the next couple of months, until leather jackets are too heavy to wear and it disappears.

This is How We Roll(:)

When you move to a new city, you have to find replacements for things and places that were yours in your old home. Sometimes you're disappointed (see: Columbus grocery stores in general), and sometimes, the things and places you find far exceed what you're used to.

A few weeks ago, my friend Andrea was considering purchasing a bike from one of her friends. Being the pushy monkey that I am - and very much wanting her to buy a bike that would be just right for her, so she'd love it and never want to get out of the saddle - I was insistent that she get professionally fit to make sure that all that the frame had going on would be right for her body.

On suggestion from a co-worker, we made our way up to roll:. And the store? So damn excellent that I forgot to be annoyed by the colon. Store design aside, though it does, indeed, have an excellently cool look and layout, the place just felt good on stepping through the door. The people who work there are incredibly approachable and equally knowledgeable about bikes and the act of cycling. And, on top of that? It's the first bike shop that I've set foot in that has women on staff. That's right, more then one. And they ride, too.

So, last week when I saw spring starting to peak around the corner, I took my sweet baby in for a spring tune-up, and took advantage of their crazy laser body scanner to set up my bike to a bit more of an aggressive stance. And I can't wait for it to be warmer then 0C in the mornings so I can get out on the road.

Dear Spring, where are you?

Anyway, I'm looking at the body scan printout right now, and I feel like I could confidently take this information to a seamstress and get some excellent bespoke clothing made. Is it wrong that before Friday, I had no idea how wide my shoulders were, how long my arms were or the length of my inseam? Oh dear, this is somewhat dangerous information to have, indeed.

A Weekend Spent in the Kitchen

Friday

• Cinnamon Peanut Butter (my own recipe)
• Green Garlic Oil (raw)

Saturday

• Yogurt
• Whole Wheat Flax Meal Tortillas (my own recipe)
• Tomato Sauce (raw)
• Jicama Ravioli with Tomato Sauce (raw - paper-thin jicama slices, marinated in Green Garlic Oil, wrapped around raw almond hummus, made last week and stored in the freezer, covered in tomato sauce)

Sunday

• Mint Oreo Cookie Balls
• Roasted Vegetables and Seitan (big ass pan of; seitan = homemade)

Yes, this entry was just so I could post pictures of the cookie balls. Whoops?

The 1.5 Week Old Birthday is Over, Injury Blogging Redux, and I Get Crafty Again

So, a mess of things have happened since I last shouted at you. My latest 1.5 week birthday celebration ended with a visit from my parents! That was excellent, especially since in the whole of my life, I've only not ever celebrated the almost twin birthdays my mom and I share - me on the 23rd and she on the 25th - once in my life. And that was only because I was clear on the other side of the planet.

It was a weekend filled with talking and shopping and going out to eat. I kind of love that even though I live in another country, I'm still close enough to see my family and friends every couple of months. Current plans see me heading on back at the end of May for a weekend, and I can't wait - especially since, unlike the last time I was in town, it will be sunny and warm and messing about outside will be the call of the day!

In an If You Blog It, It Will Come moment, my parents brought with them a birthday present from my brother. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the excellence that is the Ball and Chain Kitschy Silhouette pendant collection. My brother, being excellent and generous, made sure that not only one of their TVs, but one of their MixMasters would be mine! And man, I can't tell you how delighted I was, and still am; there was both clapping and squealing when they were opened. And there still might be clapping and squealing going on every time I put them on.

***

Long time readers my have noticed my lack of injury-blogging of late. Don't worry - I haven't smartened up any and started to pay attention to the world around me, I've just been avoiding detailing the latest traumas. But the current stupidity that I'm dealing with really needs a re-cap. First, the list of what I've accidentally done to myself since moving to Columbus:

• October 2007: Trip while running down stairs. Sprain right ankle.
• January 2008: Forget that ovens are hot when turned on. Burn right forearm badly enough to need to treat it with polysporin and cover with a bandage for a week.

And that brings you almost up-to-date.

Back at the start of 2005, before I started blogging over here, I fractured my right foot's fifth metatarsil (wanna read an account of the resultant robot foot and a trip to Calgary? Well, then, please do!). This has always rankled as I had just started running, and was enjoying adding on the solitary nature of exercising outdoors, and the different feeling I was getting from pushing my body in this new and excellent way.

I tried running in 2006 and could only get 20 minutes in before the area around the old fracture started to ache and I thought is smarter to stick to riding my bike outside, and the elliptical in the gym / recumbent bike at home. I tried again in 2007 and got up to two consecutive days of hour-long runs before the pain set in. Since I'm convinced that I would be an excellent runner, this pissed me all the hell off, and made me shake my fist at my foot in anger.

When I moved to Columbus, I became friends with Andrea, a runner who takes so much joy in it that she totally inspired me to try it again. With spring just around the corner, I felt it would be a good idea to get some indoor training in on the treadmill before hitting the pavement. I started up the first week of February. I was good for two weeks. And then the old injury pain, she set in again. And this time, she really hurt. Enough so that I began to overcompensate when walking, shift the weight off of that edge of my foot to the ball.

And guess what that resulted in? A strain between the 3rd and 4th toes, a 2-hour long wait in Urgent Care when the pain hadn't disappeared after 6 days, 3 x-rays to confirm that I hadn't developed a stress fracture, and a prescription for an anti-inflammatory.

It anti-inflammatory? A THING OF BRILLIANCE. Is it odd that I've never been on one before?

The Urgent Care facility? If there hadn't been people there, it would've been the kind of place that has a staring role on Celebrity Paranormal Project.

Here is where I spent the first 1.25 hours of my visit:



And here I am, all stare-y eyed, waiting in a the exam room to see the doctor for for an examination, prior to hobbling down desolate halls to the x-ray lab and back. Yes, that is a cast-bronze mouse pelvis around my neck.


***

Almost three weeks ago, my friend Jen and I began ceramics classes! Hand-building, I may suck at you now, but you will become my bitch. Indeed, you will! Will post pictures of my lop-sided creations when they get all glazed and fired.

So, that's baout it. I'm off to pout about the state of Columbus snow removal.