Went out to Central Park with Jeff yesterday. Did three loops. It was a lot of fun. I did really well too, up until the very end. That's when I fell.

Everything fine. I did great. Could stop and start just fine. Clipping in and out very well. But then at the very end when I was getting off my bike, I had trouble clipping out and fell. Oh well.

Still, was a great ride.

What was the best thing about your weekend?

Jeff telling me that I look great in my wetsuit.

Okay, as promised, a recap of the holiday weekend.

We had a nice drive up with almost no traffic. Daisy, as usual, was great in the car: slept the whole way. She loves the car! We got to Jeff's parent's summer place in the late afternoon.

Daisy immediately went exploring and didn't really stop until we left. So much room, so much grass, so many smells! And, the icing on the cake...five people to pay attention to her. She had a blast!

Jeff and I also had a blast. We mostly just relaxed. It was so nice and quiet and peaceful. The weather was fantastic. It was sunny and warm but not really all that hot. Not humid at all.

The one thing that was bad was the mosquito situation. Those buggers are nasty and vicious! I got a few bites (before I put on the Deep Woods Off with 25% Deet - a must in Maine). I'm still kind of red in those spots.

We did venture off the porch and dock a few times. We took the kayak out on Pemaquid Pond (the house is on the lake, errr pond). We saw fireworks on Friday night. And we went to see a lighthouse on Saturday. Oh, and we ate at Moody's Diner, where I discovered the cheddarwurst. YUM!!!!

I experienced my first Giddings Happy Hour on this weekend. It was even more than I expected it would be. Not only were there drinks, but there was also food. The Giddings know how to do happy hour right!

And I learned a little something about lobsters. Lobsters molt their shells several times in their lifetimes. So a soft shell lobster isn't a baby; it's an adult who has recently molted his shell. The first few days after molting, the lobster is really weak and can't move because of it's brand new, mushy, soft shell. During this period, lobster are referred to as "turds." Hey, it's an industry term. I didn't make it up.

It was such a nice time and I wish we could have stayed longer. I look forward to going back.

I've got some pictures posted here but there are more in my Picassa album. Contact me if you want the link.

This is really proving to be a a great summer. I had another fantastic weekend. Jeff, Daisy, and I went up to Maine over the holiday weekend. We spent the long week up at Jeff's parent's summer house in Damariscotta, Maine.

I will post more on this, including pictures, later. But for now, let me just say that I can't remember the last time I felt so very relaxed. It was truly a wonderful time.

I'm getting more and more excited for my upcoming dive trip. I've been reading up on Roatan more. Some things that I ordered for the trip have come in: my DAN emergency kit, Cactus Juice insect repellent and sunscreen, my actual C Card came in today.

And I just bought myself a BCD today. (I got a SeaQuest Diva XLT. I paid about $75 more for it at my dive shop than I would have paid if I went to this one other place...but I figured I would support my local dive shop. Besides, I'll probably get everything else at the other place.)

Oh, and last weekend I got a gear bag (Akona Evolution).

Just a few weeks before I hit the ocean!

Can't wait!!

What's making you smile today?

Went out to a roof top bar after work today and saw some military jets fly by in formation. It was cool.

What's your favorite time of day and why?

Happy Hour. No explanation needed.

I'm relaxing now after a very fun weekend.

Friday night I took Jeff to see Steely Dan for his birthday. They are one of his all time favorite groups and he had a great time. I'm glad I splurged on good seats. I had a great time too. I'm not as into them as he is, but I found that I knew a lot more of their music than I had thought. There was a lot of  "hey, I didn't know they sang that!"

The sounded really great live too. We saw them at The Beacon and I could not have asked for a better setting. Partly due to our good seat and partly due to how great the acoustics are at The Beacon, it felt like a really intimate show. We were close, and the sound was just amazing.

Then Saturday afternoon we went to the gun range. That's right, the gun range. It was so much fun! I haven't handled a gun in years and although this will sound strange, it felt good to pick one up again. We shot .22 Rogar rifles. It's your basic, amateur gun. But it's just right for lay people such as myself.

The whole experience was soooo much fun! I can't wait to go again. And yes, I will go again.

Today I went in to buy a wetsuit, or at least try some on. That didn't happen but I can go back next weekend. I did buy a gear bag today though. I solid purchase I think. The bag seems tough, its small enough for all the new airline restrictions but big enough to hold my gear (I think!).

All in all, another great weekend.

It's been a busy June!

So, I finally took the bike out today. It was fun!

I didn't use the bike computer, but that's okay. This time was for getting used to the bike. I had my heart rate monitor on, but didn't use it. I forgot. But it didn't phase me. Again, I was more interested in getting acquainted with the bike than really caring about the exercise factor.

Wary of the clip-less pedals, I walked my bike to the park. I got on, clipped in, and fell right down. BAM! Bloody, bruised, bumped, scraped, and cut up knee. I got right back on again, and I was fine.

Starting is hard for me. That's what I need to learn how to do. I need to learn how to balance while I clip in. Jeff had some advice: clip in with the stronger foot and then pedal (i.e. move and keep balance) as you then clip in the other foot. I'll need to try that.

Stopping I can do just fine. I'm good at remembering to clip out before braking. It's the starting that I'll need to work on.

Had a great time though. The ride was so smooth. The bike was gliding. Really, just gliding along. It was such a nice comfortable ride. I even did a little, baby hill and it still felt damn good. This bike is going to treat me right.

I came up with a name for the bike: Ivy Glider. The glider part is obviously because of how smoothly it rides. The ivy part is from the detail design work on the frame. It's a pink, floral, ivy pattern.

I can't wait to go back out next weekend!

PS Note to self: get a couple jerseys. Those back pockets actually would be helpful for keys etc. rather than stuffing everything into the wedgie bag holding my emergency kit.

Moms, Dads, Parents, Guardians,

This is an open letter to you all. Under no circumstances are you to allow your daughter to ever wear clear heels.

I just saw a pair of clear heels - first I've ever seen them off the pole - on a girl. A GIRL!! She couldn't have been more than eight years old. She was all dolled up - not made up, but kind of "done." And she was wearing a pair of silver, sparkley sandals with a two inch heel. It was wrong, so very wrong.

I wanted to stop that child and her mother (I assume it was her mom) and ask why on earth she was wearing clear heels.

I am not confident of that child's future. I don't want to assume she's going to become a stripper, but if she's already tarting up (with parental consent to boot)...well, it doesn't look good.