10,000 hours is so exhausting when you work on two things at once...

My college swim coach posted this on facebook "I think that, before you criticize people, you should walk a mile in their shoes. This way when you criticize them, they will be a mile away and you have their shoes!" I laughed out loud. This bit of off the cuff humor reminded me instantly of swimming. I can still see him standing over my lane yelling some crazy directions. I can feel the water. the humidity, the temperature, smell the chlorine and see his quirky smile. In other words I can almost hear him saying what he posted. I never understood how much influence a coach could have on a person years later until I started coaching myself. I think about where I was when he coached me. I was this kid without ANY real focus and like any kid I wanted to be at the top but I was not really willing to put in the work. I see this all the time now. HMMM how to inspire them to want to work? I guess I just hope that they come around but have I done this myself? (to a point yes) Tommy taught me how to get joy from working out and that is forever seared into my being.

As I sit there and marvel at where my last few years have taken me. Its would seem that I haven't yet found that balance between focus and reality and maybe that is my life's quest. I went from being in great shape as few as 6 years ago to being in horrible shape now. I thought that this year I would get back into that world and that my motivation would be riding from Seattle to Lubec. Work got in the way, Korea came calling and life spun way off center. I overworked myself so much that I find that I am almost repulsed by the thought of getting on that beautiful thing with 2 wheels and yet it is so much better than the thing parked in the driveway with 4 wheels. When I first suggested I was going to do this trip, Tommy made sure to tell me that he thought it was the adventure of a lifetime. I trained hard until February and worked out a good deal of the logistics then the little things made me loose some of my focus and I quickly unraveled. Despite accomplishing so much in the past 10 years, I feel like that 19 year old kid again, tons of ambition but lacking the drive. So I wonder how many people are running a mile ahead in my shoes right now? Am I running after them, or am I dancing free in bare feet?

Life is a beach

How many of you have ever really told your friends how wonderful they are? Its funny how we take things for granted sometimes. This week however, I am feeling like I have the best friends on the planet. I wish that what I have to say about this could accurately describe my emotions on how wonderful they are. I found myself kind of blue this morning so I took Steve's suggestion, I got on my bike and I rode. Before I left I let the coach (Jon) know I was finally breaking that ice and bolting. In the course of disclosing my plans (Pummel myself until I am thoroughly spent) and just why I would be resorting to this, he was really sensible and told me to go out for a long slow distance, find some views, and bring a camera. At first I thought I would ride to the beach and have someone come meet me (couldn't find any beach takers today). I know that a 70 mile ride would be really pushing it at this point, plus I had a dentist appointment at 4PM to worry about. Then I thought I would ride to the mountains, now we are talking 80 miles RT and a fair amount of climbing each way. (This would be everything I had an then some).

I rode for 2 hours, until my body outweighed my heart. I stopped at the farmers market on my way home. It was in my original plan so I did have a backpack with me. I forgot how heavy veggies can be. I think I was packing an extra 15 on my cruise home. I meandered on my way home. I needed to find my soul. I stopped at anything that looked interesting to photograph. I was told to bring my camera, it wasn't going to be along in vain. I used it, mostly on PURPLE.

So after my ride? I was given the link to the above song thanks to Jon. I enjoyed Miso soup and coffee with Roseanne, had an avocado and sprout sandwich on whole rye, I went to the beach (the lake), then an hour in the dentist chair. I am spent now, waiting to pick up my son and hubby. Tomorrow? I am having a picnic at the beach with Lovey. Friday I am planning on rising REALLY early and taking a spin out to Lake Awosting by bike via Castle Point, I would love company. Let me know if you are interested.

I almost forgot...

CLAMS on the GRILL - OK I know they are not vegan but they were so good (and easy) and part of my recent sharing experience with one of my OLDEST friends who I used to seek out the best quahog chowder with every summer...

3 dozen clams (I used littlenecks)
4 cloves of garlic
stick of butter
oregano
parsley
pepper (both black and red)
lemon (juice and some of the zest)
heavy duty foil cut into 6 sheets

Scrub clams and discard any open or cracked ones
melt butter with other ingredients
place 6 clams on a sheet of foil and 1-2 tbsp of the butter mixture
wrap as a pouch
continue until all 6 pouches are complete
place on grill 7-10 minute

I used foil because of the ease of cleanup but more importantly the fact that I have 2 kids who are very allergic to shellfish - this helps keep contamination issues to a minimum.

Grande Adventure (or should it be Illusion?)

I've been so busy lately, finishing up school for the year, firing a kiln, attending a wedding, unloading a kiln, on a quest for purple, the BEACH in NH, catching up with a few of my oldest friends, and trying to understand...

I have been avoiding my bike, concentrating on my studio work, and learning a great deal about both my work and life from two incredible new friends, Steve and John, both potters and teachers. Ironically they have been encouraging me to get out and ride more. Steve you will have your wish tomorrow. I plan on giving it a go in the AM. John, the conversations about work way are more than needed, they are essential to my development as an artist! Both of you have been wonderful the past few days. Thanks for listening (to everything!).

Suzanne, answering my question brought a huge smile to my face. What you have to understand is that when I asked you that I was wondering if you would answer with the premise that the question it was too broad a scope on its own. I needed to see your answer tonight, as my life has been in a bit of a bucket lately. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to say why, but your thoughts really made me turn inward. I was brought up Catholic, my mom is a Presbyterian minister, my husband Jewish and my oldest two lean towards the East. We are an ecumenical family. When I think of my journey with my own faith, this is all a great big part of who I am. I have taken the term Catholic to heart, and while I don't practice Catholicism currently (too many differences), my faith has never been stronger and my life never more Catholic (open and welcoming of all).

While I think about compassion and how to balance my life. I am considering making a huge lifestyle change. I have been struggling with my current state of who I am for years. I have also been a vegetarian on and off for much of the past 30 years. At times this was a fantastic means to being healthy, and at times I have been discouraged by the lifestyle. I have been weighing these years heavily, and have come to a crossroads with my current self. I am seriously considering a vegan lifestyle. I am thinking this time will be different. I will approach is with a great deal less stress than I have in the past. I will do this one day at a time, no pressure. I will also take a few months to ease myself into it by reducing the amount of animal products I consume.

I guess all I have left to say to everyone right now is THANKS for being who you are!

* sorry about the pics, I can't seem to fix the orientation.

Smokeless and Raku

I taught a half-day on Thursday, which means that I was up at 5AM. At 11:30 I bolted out of school to head to MA to fire the kiln at Nobles, by 2:30 we were loading. It was really hot, almost too hot to deal with. It was decided that we would start the kiln at 5 AM, and off we went to clean up, eat a fantastic dinner (Scallops and pasta), drink wine, and watch WIPEOUT which was remarkably close to MXC

At 9 PM I was having trouble staying awake but after a night of weird dreams 4:45 still managed to come way TOO early. We headed to the kiln and got things going, settling in for what was going to be a very long day. Steve came by at noon to reuse the heat from the kiln and raku some work (yes this kiln has a seperate Raku chamber). We had a really nice, much needed, heart to heart while waiting for the ware to heat up. It was almost comical to see this person who loves to GO FAST during every waking moment of life have to slow down and wait for the wood to do its thing. It was one of the best visits. I attribute this to being makers of objects together for once. After Steve left, John, Nora and I continued with stoking until about 6PM, coming to terms with the fact that we were not going to get cone 11 to push any further in the front. We cleaned up the kiln, then ourselves and then I settled into a long drive home.

I arrived home about the same time all hell broke loose in my life within the teenage world, and I spent the next 3 hours (until 2AM) tending to the mess. With all being fine in the end, I realized that I am way too old to handle impromptu all nighters well. When I finally did get some rest, Kenny and I had to be up 5 hours later for a wedding in Saratoga (which, tired or not, I wouldn't miss for the world).

The wedding (and better than IOWA explained) will be featured in a separate post.

The quest for PURPLE

So the focus this week is the color PURPLE. I have started the journey with my own yard, house, studio and in that short of a scope I have decided to give this scavenger hunt some serious thoughts for an assignment in September. In the meantime, my hunt for purple will go on for at least the rest of this week.

Wordless Wednesday

SHINO recipe in a washed out notebook

Every time I go to mix up glazes I am reminded of the numerous floods we experienced a year ago and how my studio was devastated every one of those times. Why do I remember this? Every single one of my notebooks were washed clean of their writings and drawings. Its a strange thing to have a sketchbook washed clean, there is ghosting everywhere yet in most cases there is no legible image. I don't know why I keep reaching for that glaze recipe that is not there. I am upset every time it happens, today was no different. Time to move on. I am fixing the problem. This firing my work will sport a new recipe. I am hoping I am not disappointed.

I have been an avid fan of the HBO series Treme. Each time I see those images of the mold stained paint peeling washed out walls I am reminded of two things, one the Larry Towel exhibition "In the Wake of Katrina" I saw at the Eastman house in Rochester a few years ago and my sketchbooks. I can't really relate to the magnitude of devastation but I can totally relate on a small scale to the disruption, loss and violation that must of been felt. I am writing about this tonight because I just came home from a party and we were supposed to have shrimp, but they never made it past the kitchen. This made me think about this comment I heard the other day about the injustice of the shrimp gouging that has been going on. Heck, if I knew that what I was hauling now was going to be the "LAST" time before having to find a new livelihood, I might hold out too.

I am firing in a few days. I always anticipating being exhausted, but this time I know I will be because I am exhausted before I even set that fist pot in the kiln. Yet, like every time I do fire, I am so excited. I wonder what my work will look like. This time I am using what is left of my palette, no new glazes (except the shino). The more I do this the more I learn about what my glazes are capable of. I have maybe 3 more firings with these glazes and then I have to either recall the recipes or start the process of exploration again. Its like spring cleaning and tossing it all.

Tomorrow's adventures - glazing the rest of my work, picking up my new dress, lunch, hanging out, and closet shopping!

"Always on Sunday"...

I wanted to sleep in this morning but found myself up, wheezing and needing to breath at 6 AM. I may as well get my day started, after all, I do have a great deal to accomplish today. So its 7:35 now and I have already managed to put up a pot of baked beans and a blueberry streusel topped coffee cake, which I did modify from the book Always on Sunday (Ostman, 1998). The book is something I picked up at a craft fair in Roseville, MN last December when we were out there for a meet. I even met the author, WOOHOO. She was impressed that I was buying the book for my husband Kenny and not myself. It used to be that I did my Christmas shopping in Lake Placid, now it seems that the Twin Cities have grabbed me the past 3 years. I started thinking about this yesterday as I was reading a blog and watching a rerun of the triple D, the one where they visit Al's Breakfast . I started to miss the friends that I have grown to love in that area.

I am hoping to get some coffee in me in a few minutes and head into the studio to get some carving and glazing out of the way early, though right now I have this urge to get out on my bike before its too hot, though I know its already too late for that. So I shelve that thought until my work is done. With that said...

sustanance

On my agenda today, besides my laundry adventures, which resulted in me CHANGING my plans from dry to liquid with ease, was a generous amount of studio time (10 hrs), the green market, and the orchard.

My trip to the market resulted in a wonderful introduction to a local farm and its managers. After speaking with the two women (Erin and Anne) about everything under the self sustaining sun including Anna's endeavors on the farm in VA, I returned home inspired to really look into the building a cob oven thoughts I had a month ago. (With tomorrow being father's day, I really wish I had invested the time in to constructing one for Kenny.)

My trip to Salingers, on the other hand, left me soured. I had a grocery bag that I wanted to dump my basket of apples into but they wouldn't oblige and I had to leave with the heavy plastic bag as well as my apples. Persistence will eventually change this, although after today, I am not sure I want to return. In the meantime, Anna had a request to publish some of her writing on sustainable living in the local paper. She was ecstatic. I can't wait to read it.

I returned home, eager to return to the studio. All the time I spent away gave my sherry ware and my bowls a chance to set up for trimming. I spent the next few hours throwing some agate ware and trimming. Tomorrow? Carving and glazing. Monday I will load a bisque and sinter the glaze on those wares that are raw at the same time.

Its going to be a really busy week. Too much on my plate between school and the kiln. I know I will preserver. I always do.

It has been a mighty relaxing day believe it or not. Work is fun when you are passionate about it. The low stress is relaxing.

In the meantime, Kenny was slow cooking pork-butts all day for BBQ. Besides having the wood-smoke be an inspiration to my work, dinner was fantastic! My mom also made a surprise appearance. We sat down to pulled pork, fried beets*, salad and broccoli. Mikey's friend Steve joined us. He was such great fun to talk to. I really enjoyed having him share a meal with us. Mikey btw was outside putting a new clutch in his car. His dinner was delivered by Kenny.

Tomorrow?

grading, glazing, carving, cleaning, and closet shopping... and hopefully a visit with PETE (even though I saw him the other day).

Song of the day?

Until then!

*Fried BEETS

Shred 1 bunch of raw peeled beets in the food processor

mix in 1 garlic scape and 1 scallion chopped

saute in a pan with 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of olive oil

serve hot

Laundry detergent is just a start...

It started here and then I heard this story, which was so inspiring. (Notice I am requesting you take the time to visit the links- I am keeping it vague on purpose). The the oil spill happened.

So, I am on a mission to lower the number of earths I would use by living the way I do. BTW speedskating has added an earth or two because of the amount of driving/flying I have to do. Time to get on the bike more.

So I decided to jump off the cliff so to speak and make my own laundry detergent after I read this article which was posted on Yahoo as a means to being frugal and reducing waste. The recipe that they lead you to was this one. This got me doing some research and this morning I embarked on my laundry soap crusade. The recipe I settled on was a dry mixture:

Ingredients:

1 bar of grated Castile soap

2 cups borax

2 cups of washing soda

mix well and put in a sealed airtight container

USE 2 TBS (or an 1/8 cup) per load.

I already decided that next time I am using liquid castile soap (a refill of course which I will get on my way home from Alison's wedding next weekend). I will try to figure out the equivalent to using a bar soap - should be easy enough - this will avoid the melting step. In other words I am thinking that the liquid version may be better- I found that the soap was too heavy for the borax and soda and sank to the bottom. I am washing my first load now. We'll see how well it works (fingers crossed).

More later...

Size 6, size 6, SiZe 6, Damn-it...size 6

I feel like every woman on this planet is a size 6 or smaller except for me!!! I went clothes shopping of sorts today. I say sorts, because I was really trying to be responsible an upcycle some wardrobe pieces so that the world would have less band new material goods purchased. Only the one thing I found out is that being a size 14 is very discouraging because EVERY DAMN PIECE is a size 6 with the odd 0 or 4 thrown in. I daydream, reminisce even, back 6 years ago when I was loosing so much weight, people thought I was sick. Size ? You guessed it, 6. Thirty pounds heavier now (of course it has to be a multiple of that frightful number) I am wondering exactly how I got to this place, oh the longing, the exhaustion that went with it (I think I exercised more than I did anything else, and I mean ANYTHING).

So now what? I am not sure. I just had to gripe about size for a minute. I have been loosing a bit, though I am afraid to step on the scale. I will as soon as my waistline needs downsizing. In the meantime I will just keep plugging along!

Quotable Wednesday - Farther and Farther

The Way is like a mountain; the farther you climb, the higher it is. The Way is like the earth; the farther you go, the farther it extends. Shallow students use up their strength and stop. Only those who have will for enlightenment can reach its heights and depths.

~Record of Things Heard

It was the last chaotic day of classes and quite frankly, I cannot figure out how to deal with all the last minute emergencies I have every year. Why do students procrastinate like there is no tomorrow? They look at me as if I am supposed to drop everything and grant them amnesty or something.

I managed to pay a visit to the antiques shop this afternoon on my way home. I was looking for a new tool for my studio. While these were not what I was looking for, I was intrigued, even though I have no clue what they are. They sort of look like knitting needles (heavy). They sort of look like hair sticks (heavy). I would love you to comment if you know.

I also managed to find this really cool LEATHER Delfino messenger bag in REALLY good shape. So I bought it! I am so excited about it. I cannot wait until tomorrow when I sport it to school.

Off to prepare dinner; Swordfish with Chili Mango Lime Chutney.

Swordfish - broiled with lime, smoked paprika, garlic and thyme

A quick chutney made of mangos, poblano peppers, lime juice, shallots, garlic, pepper, salt...

Definitely a bottle of wine!

The Martini Steak

Tomorrow is the last day of classes before finals start. There is a frenzied pace to everyone and everything at school. I have successfully kept within my records and managed to have one kiln mishap at the end of this semester. It seems to be standard practice, although this time I don't really know what happened. It amazes me that I can literally fire the damn thing 25-30 times in a semester and not loose a single piece until crunch time. With that said, I also have my own firing to worry about next week. Work is mostly done awaiting my glazes but in the scheme of my hallway turned waterslide incident last week I think I have managed to mangle my wrist (I see the doctor in a few days). Its mighty swollen and painful and didn't start bothering me until Monday completely out to the blue, no immediate trauma.

Its been an exciting few days since I last wrote. I spent time

with Diane after she was caught up in the Mahopac HS bomb hoax (imagine being locked down at work on a Friday afternoon after school for 3 hours for a cardboard box and a bunch of CD's and wir

es). Kenny and I also ventured to the city to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. We managed a street fair (yea cheap jewelry!), half price sushi (yes, we were feeling adventurous). On Sunday, despite the anvil that implanted itself in my head, I managed a bunch of studio work and an

afternoon of Greek food at Dan and Mary's. Yesterday I

went for a walk with Roseanne and we spotted this northern

water snake by the lake. He was an old bugger, a good 4 ft long, black with purple and coppery bands.

I came home from school this afternoon and made my way to the track to run a few fitness tests on Chris. It was a rough workout for him. and I felt bad making him do it, but we learned he was in great shape, covering 3,375 M in a Cooper test (15 year olds average 2200). He jumped 9 ft vertically (net 24 in) and nearly 10 ft laterally (both from standing). WOW! So how did he finish his workout by chugging a slurpie of all things.

Tonight, I made a martini steak, and as the gin based rub hit that meat and became instantly fragrant I was thinking about an episode of Cooking with Julia I once saw when Justin was little and we lived in the Bronx. She was de-boning a chicken and drinking quite a

bit while doing it. I wondered how "Julia" would have approached this one. I think it probably would have been one martini for the steak and two for her?

Martini Steak?

Create a rub using 2 shots of gin, 2 tbsp honey, smoked paprika, 3-4 cloves of crushed garlic, basil, pepper, salt, and a couple of tbsp of olive tapenade. Run into steak and allow it to marinate for about an hour. Broil or grill to taste.

its Friday and I don't have a fave five today

I am grumpy and pissed off and not able to think about what was so great this week, even though there were some wonderful things. Maybe tomorrow!

Are books superfluous?

I just started to read The Shallows (Carr, 2010) and the first question one comes across in the endflap "Is Google making us stupid?" I have been contemplating the issue of multitasking since I heard Carr on NPR a few days ago. Ironically I was in my studio trying to stay focused on carving plates so that I can have them ready for firing next week and I was having trouble with staying on task.

I have also been contemplating a conversation that Kenny and I had a few days ago about my adventurous lifestyle and how I should write a book. He thinks I write well, have tremendous wit about my stories, and that the craziness would sell more than every other joker out there hawking a memior. He even had a bunch of suggestions on what I should include and how to get it to a publisher that would read it (insert Uncle Paul who is currently at a giant house). In anycase I am not sure that would work, but the more I think about the idea, the more I cannot seem to escape the thrill of this challenge. It would be a grand adventure of the highest proportions,a Magnum Opus of sorts.

I have fantasized about what to write about and how to write about things. I think I would take it from the vantage point of a story-teller. I imagine this rather large animated woman standing in front of bonfire with a crowd, drawing them in with her crazy tales, so crazy that they are laughable. Are they real or elaborated on? It doesn't matter because they are magical and definitely metaphorical. They are perceptions personified. The stuff that most artists have a hard time turning off. Story telling to me has always been just thought of as another creative media. I am fascinated with story tellers, especially those who have perfected their art.

I am fascinated with other people's stories. Two of my favorite NPR shows are The Story and Fresh Air. The human condition and all its emotion is great stuff. I think of how many people are drawn to the story Van Gogh who is said to have cut off his ear in a fit of rage to avoid killing Gauguin. He had an illness, an addiction to absinthe, with all that the wormwood concoction has to offer. The craziness of the story, the anecdote, is what is remembered . Then there is the story that Terry Gross told a few weeks ago about the Philadelphia Police and the Pulitzer Prize newspaper article about their improprieties concerning the arrests of bodega owners. My students were glued to the interview as we listened to Fresh Air during studio time (I encourage you to listen to it too).

I found myself writing down ideas for my own stories. My students tell me that I definitely have staying power in that department, so does my family for that matter. As I continue to dream about the possibility of writing a book, and as I read Carr's book I wonder, are books really superfluous? According to him, if you have read more than four of the paragraphs I have written without squirming to check your e-mail, getting frustrated with the length, and without wondering mentally, then you are in the minority. So I ask if I write, will you read?

re-learning loving to ride

I cannot figure out what is wrong with me. I find myself daydreaming about riding, reminiscing about specifics as I drive the parts of a route I have taken in the past, which I cannot seem to escape anywhere between Maine to DC and as far west MI and north as Ontario, and yet when it comes time to get my behind back on the bike I cringe. I have this thing about riding alone. I have done so much of it that I actually HATE IT with a crying passion. The other problem is that outside of my fantastic riding buddies (Alison and Kelly) who live 3 hours from here, I have nobody to ride with. I cannot keep up with the likes of Chris or Bud anymore, Jon is a great coach, but way to fast and most of my friends think all I want to do is HAMMER so they won't even give riding with me a thought. My brother Joe just got a new road bike and despite being in great shape and most likely way faster than me, won't ride with me because he has it in his head that I am faster than him. So this leaves me hating the idea of riding because I have to experience the pain alone. What I find interesting though is that single track, heck even carriage roads and a Mtn Bike I find intriguing. I think because there is a learning curve so I feel challenged instead of beating myself up about how I "USED" to do this so easily or so much faster. In anycase, I think I have described my current mindset.

So today I am leaving school and I get this text from my friend Ellen, who doesn't really ride, actually, she hasn't been on a bike in 15 years. She wants to know if I want to ride on the trail this afternoon. OK, I'll bite, maybe teaching someone how to become a cyclist it will help me to learn to love the sport again. Just before leaving I read Andrew's post about the changes that life brings and it struck a cord. I sat back and thought about things for a minute. Just being out there, enjoying the day and the company was enough of a motivator to do this. So we loaded up the bikes and headed to the trail. She loved it! Somewhere in the mix I told her that I really needed to ride with someone and that I didn't mind taking it slow. She told me she love to ride with me as long as I didn't mind going at her pace. I am more than happy to oblige!

A truck ran over it...

Want to know how I feel this morning? I think this little clip sums it up!

FAVE FIVE (I almost forgot)

1. I am only bruised

2. Someone I have known for years has finally made that leap of faith and is working for MSF

3. I got to talk to Pete today

4. I decided that Korea was in my best interest (and I joined the Teachers Travel Web)

5. I got to have coffee with Denise, see Maureen, Steve, Jeff and Chris all in one place and participate in a workshop with Ken Matsuzaki who is the designer of the kiln I would like to build at school. I now have a new outlook on my approach to working in the studio. Particularly in regards to tool making, trimming, and coil building (which has always been my favorite).

Water on a tile floor in a school hallway = A unique version of the slip and slide

All was going well today with teaching. I was really looking forward to my painting class too as I went to Jerry's afterschool yesterday and bought some things for my trip to Korea (yes I am going). I was anxious to try them out. I have this plan to experiment with some materials prior to leaving and then selecting those things that will work well. In anycase I was armed with journal, some watercolors, some ink pencils and water soluble pastels. All of these items were placed in a 2.5 gallon pail with some water, some toilet tissue, and extra supplies for my students. We were headed out to the school's art gallery to paint. I was a bit behind my students as I had a few stragglers in the classroom. On my way down the hall I rounded the corner and slipped in some water and did a really nice reenactment of a Short Track fall into the boards (belly across the ice kind of thing). The hall turned into a slip and slide and I managed to mop up everything into my crochet shirt. I also managed to make my left leg feel the way it does when you are skating on natural ice and catch a fissure and fall with your body going in ten different directions at once and your knee taking the brunt of the fall. The only difference here was that I didn't have the endorphins from exercise to help me out. So now, I am sitting on the couch icing things after what proved to be a very long afternoon in the orthopedic's office. Nothing broken, nothing torn, JUST a BADLY BRUISED knee and hip (I haven't seen a hematoma like that under my kneecap since I got clipped by a skate in the Portland marathon five years ago). I am sure my hamstring is going to feel just great tomorrow. Oh well, as Lovey would say, thats what scotch is for...

Its been an interesting afternoon. I found out that my orthopedic has left the practice and is working for MSF and while I think he finally got the guts to go for something he has dreamed about for years (we used to have conversations about my adventures and I could see it in his eyes - there was a longing to fill a charitable void- especially when MSF came up), I was a bit heartbroken at the fact that I now had a new doctor after 23 years that I didn't choose and who might treat me as a fat chick who just needs to get off her ass and exercise. I was pleasantly surprised, turns out the new guy has a similar temperament, some research has let me know that he studied under many of the same people as my former doctor and worked with him for the past 25 years. With that said...I know I will be fine. Now I just wish I could send that go for it card with my annual donation to MSF!

Saratoga this weekend: We are off to SPAC to see DMB tomorrow night with my brother and sister-in-law. I am hoping that these bruises will not make me too uncomfortable. We were planning a ride on Sunday with Kelly, and there again, I am hoping that the best thing for bruising (movement) doesn't cause me distress. Playing it by ear I guess (maybe a swim will help). In any case a trip to the JONESVILLE store on Sunday for brunch might be in order