Oozeball and other shenanigans

I think that it would be safe to say that this weekend was a bit of a fiasco. First, there is the pressure of looming finals. Though I have no tests to take as usual, I have a lot of final projects - and they're all due this week. Of course I didn't get any work done - I was too busy. Friday saw me playing in the annual oozeball (mud volleyball) tournament with the AModestProposal team. We kicked ass for the first two matches, but were swiftly eliminated in the next two. I think it was a combination of fatigue and teammates leaving to go work on DI.

Oh, DI. What a nightmare. We've been down as the hosts of the Texas State Destination Imagination tournament for a good portion of the last year, and Gina went through a number of channels to insure that we would have sufficient space to do so. Yet things seemed to fall apart this week. For some reason, the powers that be decided to double (and sometimes) triple book a bunch of our rooms, so that by Thursday night we no longer had SOM for Instant Challenges, but the Classroom Buildings (for a visualization of how disasterous this is, see the pictures of campus on flickr). Then, we found out on Friday evening that the stage of the Performance Hall is too small - so that competition site was moved to the Art Barn. What?! Hyper kids and their overly-competitive parents + six-foot-tall photographs hung with binder clips = a really bad idea. I have no idea how that worked out - I've been too afraid to look. But after all that happened in the student union ($20,000 worth of damage apparently), I don't really want to.
Add to that the tornado warning during registration and the all the high pitched squealing, and I'm ready to go into hiding for a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately, I still have to drive through these next two weeks. It will all be over soon.
At least the bike rides have been going well. Did 40 this Sunday with no trouble, though I think my ride buddies are backing out for this weekend's "Cruisin' de Hood" metric century. At least I'll get to hang out with Granny G at the finish line...

And so we continue where we left off...

After a little break due to injury (Iris', not mine), we got back to our regular training routine today - out the door at 5.45 and down to White Rock Lake for the ten-mile loop before Iris had to leave for work. The cold from this weekend still lingered, but this time I was prepared - I found long-sleeve jerseys and toe-warmers on sale :-D. Hopefully we'll be able to keep up the morning runs. Things are infinitely more complicated when work, kids, and crazy moms are thrown into the mix (don't worry, the kids and mom aren't mine).
But regardless of how things go in the mornings, I'm still going full-force on the weekends. I am officially registered for Cruisin' de Hood on the 21st. Hopefully Granny G and Pops will still be in Texas so that we can go for brownies at their house afterwards since we'll end up just down the road from them (hint hint).
Anyway, off to talk about Harry Potter some more. I love this semester's reading list :-D.

The twilight zone...

When I stepped out the door this morning at 7 am to leave for the Tour Dallas ride, I was sure that I had stepped back in time to a winter month. April in Texas is more than just a spring month - it's usually the beginning of that long stretch of hot weather that reaches into October. But not today. Monday reached 90, but today's temperatures barely got about freezing. As we hit mile 10 of the ride, there were even snow flurries falling! Some friends of mine were at Six Flags (an event planned long ago to celebrate Jono's 22nd birthday) and said the snow there was a little more than flurrying. Nothing accumulated (as per usual in Dallas), yet it was definitely a strange event for EASTER WEEKEND!
After one of the coldest rides of my life, I went home and crawled back under the covers to catch up on some reading. Then I headed back out for the second part of Jono's party - the Rangers game. I heard someone say that tonight's game was the coldest on record at the ballpark in Arlington, and I don't doubt it. Ironically, we were able to beat the snot out of the Red Sox, who should be used to temperatures such as this even if we are not.
Cold as it was, today was a good day. Got a good ride in and had fun hanging out with the friends. If only I didn't have so much work to do in the next two weeks...

The planning of the epic roadtrip continues...

Here's the plan so far for the drive to Portland at the end of May (click here to see the map)...

• Depart early in the morning of Tuesday May 29
• Drive to Santa Fe; spend the night there.
• Get up early and drive to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Camp there Wednesday May 30
• Get up early again and drive to Cody, WY. See the Buffalo Bill Museum. Either camp there or stay in a motel the night of Thursday May 31
• Get up early yet again and stake out a camping site in Yellowstone. Spend the day of Friday June 1 exploring the park then camp there that night.
• Get up early again and explore the park some more, moving to Grand Teton NP in the afternoon. In the evening, drive to Idaho Falls and spend the night Saturday June 2 there.
• Get up early (do I really need to keep saying that) and drive to Baker City, OR. Spend the day and night of Sunday June 3 there.
• Be in Portland around noon on MONDAY JUNE 4

Wow. That's a lot of driving. 2,42o mi for Frodo according to Google Maps.

Training update...

So here's the scoop...
I AM TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY TO THE FUNDRAISING MINIMUM!!! A week into fundraising, I've raised $200 already. Wow! Thanks to those who have donate thus far. If you haven't yet, it's super-easy ... just click on the link on the previous post or send a check made out to the National MS Society to me.
As far as training goes, I'm feeling pretty good. I did another 27 miles on Sunday, this time all hills. It was brutal, but I felt good afterwards. Apart from the general feeling of tiredness, no problems. My training buddies are having a little bit more difficulty. Renee's first day back to the world of cycling after a 5 month hiadus was the Sunday ride and I don't think it agreed with her. If only she would join Iris and I on our 6 am rides on Tuesday and Thursday. Hehehe. Iris also hit a bit of a snag this week - she ended up tearing a muscle in her leg and is now having to go through physical therapy for the next two weeks! Oh no! But no worries - she'll be back up soon, in plenty of time for the longer training runs.
This Saturday, we're doing the Tour Dallas, which is 30 miles through downtown to see all the sites. Bradley is joining us, so if Iris' leg isn't better and Renee is still having problems, I won't be alone.
After that, there's the weekly Sunday rides with the Mad Ducks in Grapevine, then on the 21st there's "Cruisin' de Hood" in Granbury (county seat of Hood County - get it), which is 63 miles. The Saturday after that, it's the Muenster GermanFest - another 63 mile ride. The Saturday after that is the MS150! Yikes, it's getting close.
I think I can, I think I can...

MS150 info...

Please consider the following, and pass it on to others who may be interested in contributing... :-D Hannah
Dear Friends:
On May 5-6, 2007, I'm joining thousands of cyclists for the SAM'S CLUB MS 150 from Frisco to Fort Worth. This two-day bike ride isn't a race, but it does raise money in the race to find the cure for multiple sclerosis. Last year, more than 3,000 cyclists raised $2.1 million to help 17,000 Texans living with MS, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Researchers are making progress, but the cause and cure are still over the horizon.
And that's why I saddle up to ride. With this journey, I'm helping the National Multiple Sclerosis Society fund research to find the cause, cure and treatment of MS. My participation also helps support services for people affected by MS. My personal fund-raising goal is $500, supporting the ride's 2007 goal of $2.4 million.
Please help me support our fellow Texans by making a one-time, tax-deductible donation. It's incredibly simple to donate online - just go to http://ms150.org/dallas/donate/donate.cfm?id=197179. You can also donate directly through me. Any amount you feel comfortable giving is deeply appreciated. Checks can be made payable to the National MS Society. With your support, we can make a positive impact today in the lives of 17,000 men, women and children with multiple sclerosis.
Lots of Love,
Hannah

News of the Weird

It has been insanely long since I last wrote anything on this thing. Suffice it to say, a lot has happened in the weeks that have passed since my successful escape from Russia. Rather than fill you all in on the mundane news of the past, I feel it would be better for me to say where I'm heading - because the next several months are going to KICK ASS!
Through a series of serendipitous conversations and sheer luck, I managed to get hooked up with an internship for the summer - IN PORTLAND, OREGON! I am excited beyond belief. Not only is the internship going to be sweet (in a contemporary art gallery downtown), but I get to a) escape the Texas summer yet again b)visit the west coast for the first time in my life and c) enjoy a city which seems to get cooler the more I look at it.
Looking at the city and my situation for the summer led to my second big piece of news - I have taken up a new sport. I decided that I can't live in a bike town without taking advantage of it, so I've purchased a new bike (flat bar hybrid road bike to be specific) and am learning to ride efficiently so that I can a) commute to work this summer and b) ride in the MS 150 with my buddies. ***Speaking of which - the MS 150! This is a 150 mile ride (duh) and all the money I raise goes to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. There's a minimum pledge I have to raise of $300. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING, PLEASE DO!!! That was not a shameless plug at all. I'm just in it to have fun and get into shape again.
Anyway, that's me and what I've been doing lately. Sort of. That and reading. A lot. But then, aren't I always?
Peace out