Mountain Bike Vid

I put together this video last night. These are some of our local spots that we've been riding lately.

As Requested: A Roscoe Update

Roscoe-

Wow. He's AMAZING. Seriously. Talk about a resilient creature! His surgery was very successful. He had his 21 staples removed last Monday. He has been going to work every day with Scott or me (depending on whether or not I'm in town) and has been loving being around his family. While I was away this week for work he made major progress.

Not only is he walking but he's able to "jog" around on 3.5 legs. He even put his weight on his bad leg and lifted his good leg to pee yesterday. I think that's a pretty monumental accomplishment. He wants so badly to run hard and jump around but we have to be very very careful to not let him do that. The doctor was very strict about him getting too much stress on his pelvis/hip/femur. But he wants to and thinks he can so we're having to really keep him on a tight leash.

The prognosis is very very good. I'm sure he'll be able to snowboard with us by the end of the season and should be ready for mountain biking by next year. We've learned a few tough lessons: #1-insure your pets, especially if they're young. #2 don't EVER walk your dog off leash. Even if you think they're perfect at walking off leash. All it takes is a squirrel, or a horn, or something to spook them to have them run off.

Roscoe is SO fortunate that he is young and extremely healthy. He's also that he has a great network of friends, family and dog buddies that love him very very much.

He's just awesome. That's all there is to it.

US Airways: Kiss My Ass

I'm going to complain.

US Airways- you guys stink. I've been on a LOT of airlines lately and frankly, your customer service is in the pot. I thought by upgrading to a "choice" seat I'd have a bit improved ride. True that I switched from a middle seat to an aisle, but that was about the only difference. Was it worth the $15? You bet your butt it was. Seattle to Philly is a long flight so being in the middle would have been awful. But- that's where the conveniences ended.

This was my first experience not even getting a fricking snack pack up pretzels on a plane. Just gross soggy sammiches you can buy for a cheap $7. But they're fresh, right? Riiiight. My real beef comes as I sit in the Philadelphia airport right now. I arrived well in time for my 1:15 flight to Boston. So early that the 12:15 flight hadn't begun to board. I noticed only about 10 people waiting in the waiting area so I figured I'd rock standby and get to Boston an hour earlier.

Since when is there a "no standby" policy on undersold flights PLUS a $50 change fee? Are you kidding me? Are you on Andre's meth? What a craptastic policy. USAirways should be ashamed. I already purchased my multisegment ticket. Why shouldn't I be able to hop on a 1/4 full flight if I've made it to the gate in plenty of time? Trust me, if there were another airline that I could switch to I'd do it. But instead I'm going to drink all of your sodas on my little 1 hour puddle jumper to Boston. I'm going to drink so much coke zero that I won't be able to sleep for six days. and it'll be worth it. Because I'm going to ask for the can EVERY SINGLE TIME. Even when YOU get mad.

Jackasses.

A short video

I've been on the road traveling a ton lately. I've got lots to talk about but not lots of time to write.

With that in mind I did manage to make a quick video of our last Whistler trip!

Enjoy :)

A Book to Consider

I just finished reading Alex Cross' Trial. This is a book my grandmother bought me to entertain me while I flew from city to city during my tour of the US over the past few weeks. The book only entertained me for a couple of days because that's how fast I finished it.

If you're familiar with James Patterson's novels, you're most certainly familiar with Alex Cross. Cross is Patterson's protagonist, and he's the best character in the world. He's a man I've come to respect, admire, wish was real, and trust. Whatever Alex says, is. Alex is a former detective in the D.C. police department specializing in homicides as well as ex-FBI working on special homicide cases. He's currently a shrink helping anyone who needs it-pro bono ain't no thing to Alex.

The Cross family is one that we know goes back a very long time as one of the main characters in all of the books is Alex's grandmother, Nana Momma. The story of Alex Cross's Trial is of her father, Abraham Cross, and takes place in the early 1900s in Eudora, Mississippi. Hot, sticky, slow, Mississippi. Benjamin Corbett was born and raised in Eudora. His daddy was the Federal Judge in town and was the ruler of all things- always fair. Ben and his father did not get along. Ben's mother was the kind of wonderful tolerant woman that I want to be. Doesn't cast a doubt on strangers, or people who look and act different. She was one of the few locals in town who wasn't ashamed to befriend a black person. As the story takes place post-emancipation, yet pre-civil rights, there's clearly some shady shit going on with blacks and whites. The story is all about that shady stuff.

Ben Corbett grows up to be a hot shot lawyer in Washington DC. He's in a one-sided marriage, works too much, and doesn't know when to quit. He is sent on a mission to Eudora from Teddy Roosevelt to investigate lynchings in the south. It's been reported that Eudora is a hot bed for lynching. Ben doesn't want to believe it, but deep down, isn't surprised to hear the news. What does surprise him is the awful truth that he learns, lives and fights while on his mission. He befriends Abraham Cross, who shows him the secret hanging spots, tells horrid tales of lynchings being a public spectacle, and shows been the way of the "colored" people. I will never be ok with that term.

I'm not going to go into the depths of the book. But what I will say is that we come from a really messed up society. I'm ashamed of it. I'm ashamed that the white men who founded this country were proponents of slavery, cruelty and the like. I know I can't complain about my life. I'm free. I have a great life. I didn't fight for freedom. I realize that I'm digging a hole here, but I still don't think we're standing on equal ground. Blacks and whites, men and women, Mexicans and Latinos, we're not the same, even though we're all equal. It's not fair. We have a black president, which is pretty frickin' awesome, but it's not the end of of how unfair this world is.

Read the book. It's good. It's sad. It makes me proud and horrified. There are good people out there. Even if they're only found in historical novels... They make me want to be a better person. They make me want to make an extra effort to move us all one step closer to being equal. What moves you?

Hi Blog

I love my blog. I neglect it. I am a bad blog mama. And I tell you guys this all of the time. What I realize is that people come here to read not about me, but about experiences. That, to me, is the coolest thing. I have to, HAVE TO be better about writing.

I can't use my work as an excuse. I can't use my life as an excuse. Life is all about living and writing is a huge part of me.

Just a brain dump that I needed to get out there.

I was SO WRONG.

Yah, I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong. And I'm annoyed that I even have to write this post.

What the fuck is wrong with Brett Favre? I'm serious! The man needs an intervention. There is absolutely no reason in hell he should be playing football again this season. Yes. This is the same writer who posted about my love for the #4 a mere 18 months ago. It was hard for me to say goodbye to Brett. But it was the right thing to do. IT WAS HIS TIME. It was his time 2 years ago. But now, he's back. Again. Brett, it's pathetic.

I'm not from Wisconsin. I'm not from Alabama or Mississippi or wherever the hell you went to college. But I was a loyal fan. You were so fun to watch. You were a Packer through and through. You were the cowboy that America wanted to see win. And you did. Lots. But that was awhile ago. You came back as a Jet.. A freaking Jet! What the hell was that all about? And it was a rather sub-par year. You could have gone out after your playoff season with the Packers. Many QBs would be ok with that. But not you! You had to give it just one more shot. And you failed. Why? Because the Jets suck. And you thought you could be their saving grace. Well Mr. Favre, it takes more than a great QB to make a great team. Ask the Patriots. (I can't believe I'm confessing to this.) Their savior lost his load in the first game last year, but they were ok, because they had a good team. Not just one dude.

So you cry on tv. Again. Telling us your'e hanging up the cleats. We breathe a collective sigh of relief, because, really Brett, you shouldn't have played for the freaking Jets, and you know we're all right when we say that. You know you should have finished with the Pack. Yet, Green Bay forgave you because you were Brett. They loved you. They understood that you had to scratch your itch one more time.

So imagine their disgust when they find out you're going to be playing for the FREAKING VIKINGS! Why don't you just sleep with your best friend's wife, mother and sister while you're at it? Talk about tasteless. Classless. LAME. Brett- this is hard for me, as an ex-adoring fan, but you've lost it buddy. Big time. It's almost like Bros before hos. You JUST don't do that. And I could care less about the Vikings. But as someone who considers loyalty a MAJOR part of a relationship, I can say you just screwed every cheese lover in the great US of A.

Pat yourself on the back, dude. I don't think anyone could achieve the level of idiocy you've managed to create. Enjoy the boos.