Mountain Biking @ MindSay

Just a couple pics from the race.  Unfortunately for you guys, most of what I took were of people I know that were riding, and I'm not going to post those here.  But, these were a couple of my favorites.

 

 

And, it was a 24-hour race, so there was night riding.  Not sure I'd want to navigate between trees and over rocks with just a little headlamp to light my way.  Nah, who am I kidding, it would be awesome!

 

I went mountain biking last night with a friend of mine.  We've ridden the trail many times, but not for a couple of weeks.  It turns out those couple of weeks was plenty of time for the trail to become overgrown.  We had a few too many encounters with thorns along the way.  In fact, I ended up inside one particular bush... ouch.  I think it was the roughest ride I've ever gone on.  It was still fun and we laughed about it on the way home.

 

But, now I'm a little worried about my friend...  She got into something (we're not sure what) that caused her finger to start swelling by the time we left the trail.  This morning, her whole hand is swollen.

Update:  So the doctor told her it's a staph infection.  We both agreed that we never knew a staph infection could happen that quickly, but apparently it can.  It won't start getting better until Friday, and she's in a wedding on Saturday.  Suck.  I just hope it's feeling better for her tonight, it kept her up all last night and she was beat today.

 

 

Yes, it is my birthday. I am now officially legal, which means that people could legally get me trashed if so desired by both parties (being myself and the people). Unfortumately, it is not so desired, so don't even think about it! *glares at a select few* So how shall I celebrate this delightful occasion? Well, by going mountain biking of course! Perhaps movie bound tomorrow if there is interest, otherwise it's swimming. But mainly, I celebrate by mountain biking at Chicopee in the Amped Moutain Biker Series, which is fun. I'm going to bug the organizers... Alot! Perhaps I shall wrangle meself a drawprize out of the deal... Anyways, my favourite lyrics for birthdays.

 

The Happy Happy Birthday Song- The Arrogant Worms

Once a year we celebrate
With stupid hats and plastic plates
The fact that you were able to make
A trip around the sun

And the whole gang gathers round
With gifts and laughter to abound
And we let out a joyful sound
And sing this stupid song

Happy birthday!
Now you're one year older!
Happy birthday!
Your life still isn't over!
Happy birthday!
You've not accomplished much
But you didn't die this year
I guess that's good enough

So let's drink to your fading health
And hope you don't remind yourself
The chance of finding fame and wealth
Decrease with every year

Does it feel like you're doing laps
And eating food and taking naps
And hoping that someday perhaps
Your life will hold some cheer

Happy birthday!
What have you done that matters?
Happy birthday!
You're starting to get fatter
Happy birthday!
It's downhill from now on
Try not to remind yourself
Your best years are all gone

If cryogenics were all free
Then you could live like Walt Disney
And live for all eternity
Inside a block of ice

But instead your time is set
This is the only life you get
And though it hasn't ended yet
Sometimes you wish it might

Happy birthday!
You wish you had more money
Happy birthday!
Your life's so sad it's funny
Happy birthday!
How much more can you take?
All your friends are hungry now
So cut the stupid cake!

Happy birthday!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday, dear...
(random calling out of names, including Ralph, Bill, Ralph Kramden,
Skippy, the bush kangaroo, and the b-b-b-b-b-bu-bu-bu-)

 

-Pillaging and Plundering on the Grand-

*~Jewl~*

Today ended up being another random Tony-day.

It wasn't supposed to be. The plan for today was to go to all my classes, talk to a few teachers about things I need to work on, practice music, finish my book, go to work.

This is why it's a random Tony-day. You can't plan these things, it just happens that some random event will fall out of the schedule, and then we spend the whole day together. And I love it!

I will say this: There is nothing that so amuses and exasperates me in the same instant as Tony in a really good mood. I am dating one of the most well-rounded geeks ever. He's a band geek, but wait! He's a math geek! Oh, and he's into physics and chemistry and anatomy. And, hey! He's also the resident master of rock-climbing, mountain biking, downhill skiing, marathoning (it's a word if I say it is), and can identify more varieties of flowers than I've been able to in my life.

So, I'm reading and playing the piano, and mentally running through the math lesson (and homework - aren't you proud of me?) that I'd just completed, trying to make sure I had it all down. Math does not come easily for me. I am an artist and an English geek. Working out some random little melody on the right hand that's actually supposed to be played in the left, and Tony comes in beaming.

Usually, he's just kind of relaxed about most moods. I'm the splash-vibrant-emotion-colors-everywhere person, he's the subdued easygoing one. More than completing each other, we balance each other. So, it's a delight to see him in a very clearly defined mood. Particularly something along the lines of, "I'm so pleased with myself guess what I did?" That sounds arrogant, but it really isn't - he's more like a kid than anything else when he's like this.

He's done sorting one out of the seven filing cabinets of concert band music. He's one-seventh of the way done. And, on the spot, he informs me of what the exact decimal out to four places is. We had a very enjoyable argument about what in the world that was good for.

I headed off to get gas, he went to get something at Shopko. I have no idea what. We met up, dropped off his car in a more accessible and friendly parking lot, drove to his house. I think that's the first time I've done most of the driving for something between us. He had to suffer through my sister's Simple Plan Plus cd. Muahaha.

We'd agreed to go biking for a little while. I mentioned to you that Tony definitely enjoys mountain biking. And hiking. And kayaking. (How do I keep up? Easy - I don't.) He'd recently offered me one of the trail bikes that didn't quite fit him right, but, truth be told, I do far, far more road-biking than trail-biking, and as a result, it's not what I'm looking for. I have the feeling it's going to remain at his house for whenever we go together, because, realistically, Tony's the only person I do this with. Which is why I'm not particularly good at it. But it's fun.

My favorite relative was my grampa John. I know I should write it as "Grandpa", and most of the time, I do - but I've been saying, "Grampa!" since I was of an age to sneak down the stairs and watch Looney Tunes with him after I was supposed to be in bed. Hard-working, straightforward, sportsman, build-your-stone-walls-by-hand Grampa. I was their first grandchild, and while I was too young to remember it then, you can see in pictures how proud they were of me, and how happy I was.

I think I was fourteen when he died. The last thing we'd done together, he'd taught me to drive the tractor around the cabin properties with the little haul-cart. Grampa was the little gravel-parking-lot car dealership, and ten-point bucks. Grampa was wood smoke, and hauling brush. Grampa was rough around the edges, and loved the three of us without saying the words. Grampa was strong, and solid, a dealer, a businessman, a carpenter, a mason, a fisherman, and a hunter. Grampa was...Grampa.

Tony's dad's truck totally makes me think of Grampa. I don't know why, but I got in, and it was a feeling I hadn't recognized for years. I don't know why - I'm pretty sure Grampa drove a fairly nice little car (owning a car dealership has its advantages), but there's something about it that I got in, and it felt like home. I didn't mention this to him - it's hard to explain what exactly my mother's father meant to me - but it was a good feeling. I wouldn't WANT a truck for myself, but...there's something that I can't explain.

Mind you, he'll probably consider that borderline-sacrilege or something where I totally misunderstood the point. But, whatever.

Went over to a friend's for a rather chilly cookout. I spent most of the time playing with one of the cats, talking with said friend's fiancee (hadn't really gotten to know her before), playing in the fire and making Tony nervous (he doesn't quite trust me with myself yet), being cold and snuggling into Tony for warmth (okay, and I like snuggling), and giving grief to Tony's best friend.

Drove back to his car - little over a half-hour drive, I think. I'm not sure whether my singing with the music while I'm driving annoys him or not - I doubt it, he's rarely annoyed. It's just something I always do. Ran out of Simple Plan, swapped for an edited version of a cd John made me a few years back. Coldplay, MORE Simple Plan (skipped those), and a small pile of anime themes - common enough between us.

Desert Rose is one of MY songs. John knows this, and was kind enough to put it on there. I love it. I have a remix of it that I run to. I dance to it in my room. I'd never really shared it with anyone before tonight. Now, I'm cursed - it's probably always going to make me think of Tony.

Somehow, I don't mind.