tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-360280812024-03-19T08:37:38.348-04:00FABG!Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-32432441587427360012008-12-29T12:53:00.003-05:002008-12-29T13:16:08.396-05:00C'est fini<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Dl-73BXU3qnJiFq_MD6Dba9Cjph32gncIndP9ocDA1F9WY9Ny0cuFWIuxa05eIa-_Z_iBXBeapOR7FyJGrw-ONdjD0ax7y3vaB5LzlMLY0UPbuRA4jMHUvLasRZw78kYX1dJ5g/s1600-h/christmas+039.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Dl-73BXU3qnJiFq_MD6Dba9Cjph32gncIndP9ocDA1F9WY9Ny0cuFWIuxa05eIa-_Z_iBXBeapOR7FyJGrw-ONdjD0ax7y3vaB5LzlMLY0UPbuRA4jMHUvLasRZw78kYX1dJ5g/s400/christmas+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285272596387303954" border="0" /></a>This is what my calendar has looked like for the last four months and I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy that it's all over. As of Dec. 20, I am officially done with school. Although I am a little nervous about starting the new job and taking the board exams, I definitely feel better than I would if I were registering for classes and scraping up tuition for another semester. So now the game turns into studying, studying, and studying some more. My goal is to have all three of my board exams taken (and passed) by the end of April.<br /><br />It's so hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone. I was really hoping for a nice, relaxing holiday this year but it turned out to be anything but stress free. The extreme weather (including snow, fog, wind, rain, and ice) was a huge hassle for all of the holiday traveling we had to do. Even more of a hassle, though, were the multiple car issues we had during the week. Long story short - Steve has no heat or defrost in his car and my car blew it's water pump on Christmas morning and I'm still waiting to hear if the head gasket is blown as well. We spent the better part of Christmas day trying to limp my car to the repair shop to avoid crazy Christmas day towing fees. After that, it was champagne and whatever scraps of food we had in the house. Not the greatest Christmas but it could have been far worse, that's for sure!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNqZwDg3o5-bkLNKSSloiVtp6JpthydXLZ6aoqaxtAha5xO3Cx34Jhoqza1iS64rZXBgknXdlDhWSwabnyW3Jv2hM_hie3pTk_b-0MqzIckYQXB6VohUnfFUNfjNBlaAWK5yl5g/s1600-h/christmas+030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNqZwDg3o5-bkLNKSSloiVtp6JpthydXLZ6aoqaxtAha5xO3Cx34Jhoqza1iS64rZXBgknXdlDhWSwabnyW3Jv2hM_hie3pTk_b-0MqzIckYQXB6VohUnfFUNfjNBlaAWK5yl5g/s400/christmas+030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285277101080090674" border="0" /></a><br />So here's hoping for an excellent start for 2009 - it's impossible to know what's around the corner so there's no use worrying about it, right?Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-52767409368746308982008-12-18T14:44:00.003-05:002008-12-18T15:00:28.995-05:00DesiderataIn 1927, an unknown aspiring writer named Max <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ehrmann</span> wrote a poem called "Desiderata," which in Latin means "things desired as essential." I have an ugly 1970's-inspired wall hanging with this poem on it that used to hang in my grandma's kitchen when I was little. I rescued it from her garage sale several years ago because it was the first time I had actually read through the whole thing. It now hangs in my house and I read it quite often - each time, something different speaks to me and all of it is applicable to every aspect of my life. Sorry this is a bit on the sappy side but I wanted to share it.<br /><br />"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">career</span>, however humble; it is a real possession in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">changing</span> fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">shield</span> you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">conceive</span> Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy."Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-26783475546648562682008-12-01T15:52:00.006-05:002008-12-01T16:39:34.716-05:00650B ya'llSo not much has been happening these past few weeks - a little bit of school, a little bit of work, a little bit of traveling, and so on. I'm in the final push of what I hope is my last semester of school for several years. Three weeks of night-shift neonatal ICU rounds and that's it. Gettin 'er done.<br /><br />A new and exciting addition came along this past week, though - it's a frankenbike project that's been in progress for over a year now but Steve made it happen after some frantic digging through his bike parts bins in the basement. So I give you..... the Salsa Ala Carte single speed complete with 650B Velocity Blunts. Daaaaaang.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8yJVjoZvEg_kTwVPnHGpdpVuMuUCyG48IgHZlxKoyXeiz-UCOsz7XuE1jwma2llncLZa_XML6lLvS6B1pIQHI0kzkH5eUtsReiWwaNM_o-G8m0PFQaCC7gXTk4BYpauc-gLigw/s1600-h/salsa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8yJVjoZvEg_kTwVPnHGpdpVuMuUCyG48IgHZlxKoyXeiz-UCOsz7XuE1jwma2llncLZa_XML6lLvS6B1pIQHI0kzkH5eUtsReiWwaNM_o-G8m0PFQaCC7gXTk4BYpauc-gLigw/s400/salsa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274929515240391058" border="0" /></a>My coworker Dave took some great photos of it for the Velocity website - check it out <a href="http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=518">here</a>. Luckily that was before I took it out in the muck at Luton Park over the weekend. It's definitely going to take some getting used to - not only is it a rigid singlespeed but the wheels are bigger than I'm used to (650B's end up somewhere between a 26" and a 29" wheel - probably around a 27ish" wheel). Add that to having zero moutain bike miles in the last few months and I'm just happy to report that I'm still alive. It was actually a ton of fun and I can't wait for this spring, although the tires I'm running (Pacenti Neo-Moto) make this bike more like a hovercraft in the snow and slush. Many more good times to come with this bike, I'm sure :)<br /><br />Because of the snow we got these last few days, I did break down and put the studded tires on the Surly this morning. I'm planning on taking it into town a little later this afternoon to get some school stuff wrapped up before the MMBA meeting. Although now that it's started snowing again, I'm not as excited about this as I was this morning. Oh well - slushy roads, here I come!<br /><br />Not much else to report - I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from this fall. Some Halloween, some chilly waves, some hockey game craziness, and some muddy riding. Nothing too exciting but I'm sure I'll have some good stories in the next few weeks!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxG5WL9GI4onffAqYrbiJ7OdspUusN7mjt_wUCeQ6q_xJ2wvI18N-25k9ejAS3In8MMg3vR-CL6W-aR6BEKU1owWxmUe-rYlbQ_qjBarm7ROucrFrmN84tT75atn9kBp1gpjoag/s1600-h/2009+Halloween+064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxG5WL9GI4onffAqYrbiJ7OdspUusN7mjt_wUCeQ6q_xJ2wvI18N-25k9ejAS3In8MMg3vR-CL6W-aR6BEKU1owWxmUe-rYlbQ_qjBarm7ROucrFrmN84tT75atn9kBp1gpjoag/s400/2009+Halloween+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274936472339329106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarTBbvrw2Rr8614StG-6176mUcpD33Rzh6zIqInZo18r8zpoaQtCF3IJHmoftOcgGy0S6oXTIYuBO0a_FMntAKQpDMHwVxfMS31oGW6fS4qjIPEodFC0EkMjXHBaU91VQn76ffQ/s1600-h/2009+Halloween+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarTBbvrw2Rr8614StG-6176mUcpD33Rzh6zIqInZo18r8zpoaQtCF3IJHmoftOcgGy0S6oXTIYuBO0a_FMntAKQpDMHwVxfMS31oGW6fS4qjIPEodFC0EkMjXHBaU91VQn76ffQ/s400/2009+Halloween+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274936482100523330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0bZhV-1mBKY1MAkE7e_Fxt-K-II-sE8NNdGOJn6dcyvGNuCptR-hu7FudmfXgYQaiYN26TL-7gz1Euu-4mK9fFLVeFFH-lvnX8zWhFDUDPoaoCH6hGHqG2TVi1i4X1h6DsYWGA/s1600-h/2009+Halloween+231.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0bZhV-1mBKY1MAkE7e_Fxt-K-II-sE8NNdGOJn6dcyvGNuCptR-hu7FudmfXgYQaiYN26TL-7gz1Euu-4mK9fFLVeFFH-lvnX8zWhFDUDPoaoCH6hGHqG2TVi1i4X1h6DsYWGA/s400/2009+Halloween+231.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274936486738485970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixCcGIVsOlvPN4W4kaQl-nNwxkKuEAOBLg4wXzkq3lcRgAXQVlNE6N6nNZWwdF_4CIWZHIVfAuA7j9cc5aSNK_UrGDOqqmWQ5hoxTXT9PxdqO0WglRhzsuWiQuZTjroJsnytWdA/s1600-h/stuff+023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixCcGIVsOlvPN4W4kaQl-nNwxkKuEAOBLg4wXzkq3lcRgAXQVlNE6N6nNZWwdF_4CIWZHIVfAuA7j9cc5aSNK_UrGDOqqmWQ5hoxTXT9PxdqO0WglRhzsuWiQuZTjroJsnytWdA/s400/stuff+023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274936496627999362" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyE8xavrInGJ60zOuNJFdfNqbILNnNFoDdaDwftajB4wauGuVJnj1nt4tKVTlclkoPpvWSiv1IVL0W2oLxCtBgnHM_TIMprfNcMUfUieQjodzvOi1Vvws_zeoz4rwL2JyPmYwCg/s1600-h/stuff+053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyE8xavrInGJ60zOuNJFdfNqbILNnNFoDdaDwftajB4wauGuVJnj1nt4tKVTlclkoPpvWSiv1IVL0W2oLxCtBgnHM_TIMprfNcMUfUieQjodzvOi1Vvws_zeoz4rwL2JyPmYwCg/s400/stuff+053.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274936503593702722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKtv9u4maRiswZi5gNTotbeSJVbloBGg7Nx2_Iq0HDDENLSH9yeGl1W16Gkks5raJQhNvk39PkxG-BtegLITDgkSMgXdIS0pxxa_eXK7-hrOG3Kn1WUHg9CwdDvJmPg5esge4ZA/s1600-h/stuff+047.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWKtv9u4maRiswZi5gNTotbeSJVbloBGg7Nx2_Iq0HDDENLSH9yeGl1W16Gkks5raJQhNvk39PkxG-BtegLITDgkSMgXdIS0pxxa_eXK7-hrOG3Kn1WUHg9CwdDvJmPg5esge4ZA/s400/stuff+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274938216658206962" border="0" /></a>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-13388129230348022392008-11-10T21:26:00.002-05:002008-11-10T21:33:52.436-05:00So.....Are you tired of looking at Steve and George Dubya yet?? Margo yelled at me today for not updating my blog often enough so here I am, nursing a very strong cocktail and celebrating my big news for the day - I got a job! I finally heard back from Butterworth hospital and I accepted a full time position in the respiratory department starting on January 5th. I could not be happier about this - it will make this last month in school so much more enjoyable knowing that I don't have to be pounding the pavement every waking moment trying to scrounge up some work. Besides that - doing my clinicals there made me realize that there's no other hospital in town I'd rather work at. I'm so excited :) So as it stands now, I have the last of my adult critical care shifts this coming weekend in Saginaw and then three weeks of neonatal critical care after Thanksgiving at Butterworth and then I'm done! Graduation is December 20th. I don't plan on walking in the ceremony - mostly because I work the night shift the night before and don't get out until 7am that morning. It will be sooooo nice to be able to relax and enjoy the holidays for a few weeks before I start up at my job. Two board exams later I will be a full-fledged, licensed, and registered respiratory therapist. With a job. Kinda makes the last two years of craziness all worth it.....Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-45207552086023253782008-10-16T20:23:00.002-04:002008-10-16T20:27:52.999-04:00Another OneSo this one's grainy since someone took it with their camera phone but I just thought I'd put it up anyway. For those who are confused, President Bush made a surprise visit to the bike shop (where Steve works) yesterday while he was in town for a fundraiser. Steve had the chance to shake his hand and tease him about riding a Trek (a brand they don't carry) before he left in his bad ass limo and headed off to do more important things. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime moment, whether you agree with the man or not. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiIrJrlcLNk7KzCYkp8RkhJSetJ3tEmDzNxy3cFJjyBgtp6P2mBRJ3k_2_IaqDbNBZoQH1Ja_qAYLpdxjL5vk__j4BneOKnkLQnvAKGLHl3GJesOIvetXbQEBytZjJH9t8Sp-5g/s1600-h/george+and+i.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiIrJrlcLNk7KzCYkp8RkhJSetJ3tEmDzNxy3cFJjyBgtp6P2mBRJ3k_2_IaqDbNBZoQH1Ja_qAYLpdxjL5vk__j4BneOKnkLQnvAKGLHl3GJesOIvetXbQEBytZjJH9t8Sp-5g/s400/george+and+i.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257912936132492546" border="0" /></a>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-65983582547785492252008-10-15T21:11:00.003-04:002008-10-15T21:16:33.204-04:00Dude..... Seriously?!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFkYxeMgvlp23jFSb4ogpbAW6DBNhK48pg4W3iFQzUXDIbqWUfpg0z_U8NbQLPQpkXfvDwnBk6fXHkjaoIlAv-q4PoWibKYrVjIQ2InLuPZQ12P-rx0gUoC7N0aEfRpWsZxanCQ/s1600-h/P1010880.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFkYxeMgvlp23jFSb4ogpbAW6DBNhK48pg4W3iFQzUXDIbqWUfpg0z_U8NbQLPQpkXfvDwnBk6fXHkjaoIlAv-q4PoWibKYrVjIQ2InLuPZQ12P-rx0gUoC7N0aEfRpWsZxanCQ/s400/P1010880.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257553666243513394" border="0" />So when exactly did I marry a VIP?<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><br /></a>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-89054487271068292612008-10-13T11:44:00.003-04:002008-10-13T12:12:23.096-04:00Wound Up but Winding DownToo much coffee + pre & post-job interview jitters = choppy blog post. Sorry.<br /><br />Just got done with my interview. It was a phone interview - blegh. I'm not a fan of talking on the phone but overall, I'd say it went just fine. It was very short and to-the-point with a "We'll be in touch" at the end. Hopefully I didn't sound too much like a blathering idiot :) Evidently there are no 'open' positions at this point but they're gearing up for some positions that will be available toward the end of the year. That's good for me since I still have a crap load of school work and clinicals to get through in the next few months.<br /><br />Speaking of clinicals, though, I only have this week and next week left in my adult ICU rotations. It's crazy how fast that time went. Five more shifts is all I get to learn as much as I can. After next week, I have a few random home-care and pulmonary rehab shifts followed by three shifts at a neuro ICU in Saginaw and then it's on to my neonatal ICU rotation. And after that - I'm DONE! Sure do hope I have a job to report to by then :)<br /><br />For now, though, I'm trying to enjoy the beautiful fall weather we're having. I spent most of Saturday doing yardwork and planting tulip, daffodil, and iris bulbs. Now the trick is keeping them in the ground so they'll bloom this spring - seems like we have a lot of hungry little animals in our neighborhood. On Sunday, Steve and I took a break from our housework to ride our bikes for a few hours. It was a beautiful sunny day when we left the house and a cool, dark night when we returned. We stopped for "one" beer at Founders on our way home but ended up staying much longer - although it's never a bad thing when you combine good beer with good friends.<br /><br />We also had the chance to catch up with our friend Mackenzie who just got back from Beijing last week after competing in the Paralympics (see the previous posts). It was so cool to see her and the medals she and her tandem partner won - Kim threw quite the homecoming party and I was so glad we could attend :) Here are a few photos - it was hard to really do justice to the medals but they were pretty amazing.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpmWIjVEhlubs87jVuKUx4MGG5mkJYB8PBnqYhiFjbFLEVAeRZJbegMeMKFy0qxjpBcdryd1wzQfKE1wyjSdjWleAESyhdUgtxDxPy_X-NwkxaY1mPmlIeLNoVpX1SKIEvRldhw/s1600-h/sue+617.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpmWIjVEhlubs87jVuKUx4MGG5mkJYB8PBnqYhiFjbFLEVAeRZJbegMeMKFy0qxjpBcdryd1wzQfKE1wyjSdjWleAESyhdUgtxDxPy_X-NwkxaY1mPmlIeLNoVpX1SKIEvRldhw/s320/sue+617.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256671769258682082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOB_a2485C0rjQedT8VJKUDfvRKcAm2FrWEw0E-5XbR54eHNfe-GdVDDNDUwhb1R3PwSzqZ9ROiGBVTpiZ1CbjsuG5_PzA4PO25VR0R60zteEaOIzXGnQ0z2QRRm4tJSNoB6l50A/s1600-h/sue+615.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOB_a2485C0rjQedT8VJKUDfvRKcAm2FrWEw0E-5XbR54eHNfe-GdVDDNDUwhb1R3PwSzqZ9ROiGBVTpiZ1CbjsuG5_PzA4PO25VR0R60zteEaOIzXGnQ0z2QRRm4tJSNoB6l50A/s320/sue+615.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256671777677543666" border="0" /></a>So now it's on to the rest of the week - I took today off for my interview and to take an exam that has to be proctored by a licensed respiratory therapist. I have to get downtown by 1:30 to start the test - it's a practice board certification exam and I'm really hoping to pass it this first time so I don't have to take it again. Perhaps I should study a bit before I go?Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-15032333376231367762008-10-08T09:01:00.002-04:002008-10-08T09:14:01.817-04:00QuickieThis is a brief nod to the blog since I'm a little short on time this morning.... I want to make sure I leave enough time to put the fenders on my bike so I can ride to work in the rain. It may not sound like fun but it may be the only 10 miles I get this week so I need to take the opportunity when I can, right? I consider it a success to even leave the house for work today since I've felt like crap since Sunday. Evidently what happened in Vegas didn't stay there since I've caught the cold that Steve brought home with him a few weeks ago. I stayed home from work on Monday and discovered my new favorite thing in the world - instant movies on Netflix. Staying home was not an option yesterday since I had a clinical shift at the long-term care hospital. It was a good day - I actually saw quite a few patients that I had at Butterworth hospital that have since been transferred to the long-term care hospital. Some looked very good, some did not. Tomorrow and Friday are shifts at Butterworth and who knows what's in store for this weekend. The <a href="http://www.grrando.org">randonneurs</a> have a GR-Saugatuck-GR ride on Sunday that I may attempt - although 100+ miles may be a little more than I can handle at the moment.<br /><br />And a quick job interview update - my interview was rescheduled for Monday the 13th so I have to sweat it out a bit more. As far as I can tell, though, I'm the only person interviewing for this position. But regardless - I need all the positive energy I can get! More later :)Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-18571506073593043912008-09-29T21:29:00.005-04:002008-09-29T22:02:46.614-04:00Rolling AlongIt's definitely been awhile and to be completely honest I don't have much to say. The last few weeks have been a blur of work, clinicals, and sleep. It doesn't seem possible that I'm already halfway through my clinical rotation in the ICU at Butterworth Hospital. But here I am, staring Week 5 in the face. So far it's been an amazing experience with some truly heartbreaking patients and I've yet to see one single promising outcome in the patients I've been caring for. But all sadness aside, I'm realizing that the decision to go back to school and go into a field centered on caring for people in need was the best decision I could have made at this point in my life. I'm so excited to be done with school so I can dig my teeth into this field. That said, I'm even more excited to have my first job interview on Monday. Holy crap - wish me luck.<br /><br />In between clinical shifts, work at Velocity is still busy as ever. Last week even more so since most of the guys were off in Las Vegas for the big Interbike trade show. Steve was there too and for those who know Steve, the picture below should sum up this year's trip:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJheyktdch9ex80cQU40gYCGXCuvXI3F4W-fYzhqIenIMqVfVo8kwGpAzgDmyqvDFRspNWhcbrKOnFah-tZhI7Ah7jCT0_nAWszjb5W48AD9C1U79VU_uYngL_mmRe78oNgv6jg/s1600-h/09+Interbike+071.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJheyktdch9ex80cQU40gYCGXCuvXI3F4W-fYzhqIenIMqVfVo8kwGpAzgDmyqvDFRspNWhcbrKOnFah-tZhI7Ah7jCT0_nAWszjb5W48AD9C1U79VU_uYngL_mmRe78oNgv6jg/s320/09+Interbike+071.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251625119319401314" border="0" /></a>The man next to Steve is none other than Eddy Merckx who is quite possibly the greatest cyclist this planet has ever known - <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> Steve's hero. Every year it seems he gets closer to being able to shake Eddy's hand but has always missed out. Not this year :)<br /><br />So yeah - riding bikes. Not much to report on that front. The first few <a href="http://www.kisscross.com/">Kisscross</a> races have come and gone - the first one being at Highland Park while the remnants of Hurrican Ike passed overhead. Quite a nice day for a bike race, although I left the racing up to Steve while I roamed around with my coffee mug full of PBR instead. I think it was a good choice....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfZ-ooRjZuvyy8kwcnKjWTEpbEXEy_jSX1k9oPdvcZ8ooILnfk8mvl3S8i4BTTdulYzMMdO9inti4apxBazTg8KPP-os03j_QMkd1biI2JsdmTwWBZWZREMFxJ4Nytt_pzcjVUg/s1600-h/sue+600.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfZ-ooRjZuvyy8kwcnKjWTEpbEXEy_jSX1k9oPdvcZ8ooILnfk8mvl3S8i4BTTdulYzMMdO9inti4apxBazTg8KPP-os03j_QMkd1biI2JsdmTwWBZWZREMFxJ4Nytt_pzcjVUg/s320/sue+600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251626916050570562" border="0" /></a>I did get to join in on my first randonee a few weekends ago. A few guys from GR have been creating all-day rides in the West Michigan area for the past few months. While the concept of randoneering is still a little lost on me, the group ride from here to Holland and back was a great time. I was desperately in need of spending 70-ish miles on my bike. I'm looking forward to the next ride - GR to Saugatuck to GR - that's happening in October. Hopefully I'll meet another nice guy like the one I met on the way to Holland.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAflU4Y6D2bjHjO1M5ofAXNYRsYNyC3Xu7pHZBJ6YA6baqgv4y26U5kP0RFgSAoNVCd-Ieq1oQTqC6lKy-_nmVhZDFwC9U8fP0paHslo2zqVSWP-B4vlK38CAdc3jXiLgdMZghsA/s1600-h/sue+607.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAflU4Y6D2bjHjO1M5ofAXNYRsYNyC3Xu7pHZBJ6YA6baqgv4y26U5kP0RFgSAoNVCd-Ieq1oQTqC6lKy-_nmVhZDFwC9U8fP0paHslo2zqVSWP-B4vlK38CAdc3jXiLgdMZghsA/s320/sue+607.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251628451365352146" border="0" /></a>Anyhoo - that's really about it. Not a whole lot ahead but more school and more work and hopefully a little fun thrown in the mix. The leaves are starting to change the weather's been a little more gloomy - and for some strange reason that makes me happy. Here's to fall weather!Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-4389587338320187412008-09-14T11:23:00.000-04:002008-09-14T11:24:38.591-04:00One of EachCongrats to Mackenzie and Karissa - silver medal in today's road race!Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-47960867366616164152008-09-13T18:14:00.004-04:002008-09-13T18:24:45.889-04:00Gold Medal!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjevj9WDCYXZ7J6jR_v5EnaQyJGw27rxNrV5w5dUJUtLbfOFISKUJe2S_oPsO8i6C6fJqMLArpfHJQO3Lbzqb-jL15a9XQ3-0WJM85GgebjAXKaVTH-xqGn-UxL8qcaj2yX5zRQ/s1600-h/Paralympics+Day+6+Cycling+Road+-eDjUrOBrOrl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjevj9WDCYXZ7J6jR_v5EnaQyJGw27rxNrV5w5dUJUtLbfOFISKUJe2S_oPsO8i6C6fJqMLArpfHJQO3Lbzqb-jL15a9XQ3-0WJM85GgebjAXKaVTH-xqGn-UxL8qcaj2yX5zRQ/s400/Paralympics+Day+6+Cycling+Road+-eDjUrOBrOrl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245633151350271394" border="0" /></a>The picture above is GR cyclist Mackenzie Woodring (left) and her tandem partner Karissa Whitsell at the Paralympic Games in Beijing. They won the gold medal in the women's time trial on Friday. Steve and I have known Mackenzie for several years and throughout her cycling career and we couldn't be prouder - she was chosen to be the tandem pilot for Karissa (who is blind) last year and has been training like crazy for this. They have also taken bronze in one event (pursuit) and have one more event (road race) to go. Pretty freakin' cool - way to go!! <br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Steve/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" />Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-73238862051501948692008-09-08T08:46:00.008-04:002008-09-10T09:31:05.213-04:00Phone HomeSighhhh..... Not even sure where to start with this one, although I'm sure everyone has long since given up on me because of my extended blogging hiatus. So let's see here - what the heck has happened since July 22? Perhaps what kept me most busy for a few weeks back there was lots and lots of overtime at work. We (at <a href="http://www.velocityusa.com/">Velocity</a>) completed a move from a 3,000 sq ft warehouse to an almost 16,000 sq ft warehouse in the course of a week and managed to work through it. Additionally we received the biggest frieght container yet a few weeks later and got to unload - <span style="font-style: italic;">by hand</span> - about 8,000 rims only to ship nearly half of them back out to customers over the following week. All this on a short staff. Good times.....<br /><br />On top of that, I was also busy finishing my last semester of classroom classes at school. Now I'm officially in my last last last semester of school and looking forward to the next three months since it's all clinicals from here on out. I'm currently in my adult critical care clinical rotation, working two to three 12-hour shifts a week at Butterworth hospital and a few shifts at various other hospitals throughout the semester. I had my first two shifts last week (at Butterworth) and they were amazing - I'm again using the clinicals to really solidify (to me) that respiratory care is something I will want to do once I'm done with school. So far, so good. It's amazing how quickly 12 hours can pass. I had my first shift at a long-term care hospital yesterday and it's quite different than the ICU at Butterworth. In the ICU, people are fighting for their lives. In the long-term, it seems that many people are fighting to die peacefully. After nine weeks of adult care, I have three weeks in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units and then I graduate! Hopefully by then I'll have a job lined up and will be well on my way to passing the two board exams I must take in order to be licensed and registered. All in time, though. I have a lot to learn in the next several weeks.<br /><br />I'm still going to be working at Velocity throughout my clinicals, or at least until I burn out. See - the thing with clinicals is that instead of being paid to work, you're actually paying someone to work for them. I pay tuition to the school, they send me to a hospital to work, and I either work a different job or pick through trash cans in order to eat. I keep telling myself it's only three months and I know it will be okay.<br /><br />It hasn't all been work and school, though - we've had some fun in these last few weeks of summer. We spent a weekend up in Glen Arbor to do some camping and check out <a href="http://www.margoburian.blogspot.com/">Margo's</a> one-woman show at an art gallery up there. The paintings were spectacular, the camping was relaxing, the water was warm, and the waves were huge. (Thought I took some nice pictures but now I can't find them.....) We also had a sweet little wedding to go to and managed a stop at our favorite place before the reception. Here's proof that we do clean up pretty well.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2VVUVaStVzFIwnvyJG1leObjyNRGmgjtFnMcoT6OhhM-Hmxpb5-N441xu6NWswx748UzpvvAby9eC4aTNtYpVJdxnY_JD0sXB9XFjhcNijV4oxfoqx0FQaAftBLFAs2giQLlqw/s1600-h/sue+581.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2VVUVaStVzFIwnvyJG1leObjyNRGmgjtFnMcoT6OhhM-Hmxpb5-N441xu6NWswx748UzpvvAby9eC4aTNtYpVJdxnY_JD0sXB9XFjhcNijV4oxfoqx0FQaAftBLFAs2giQLlqw/s400/sue+581.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243638724134957970" border="0" /></a>We also spent a week up in Canada travelling along the east and north shores of Lake Superior. We loaded up the car with a boat, two bikes, and three people (me, Steve, and our friend Rob) and drove up to a little town just north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario where I dropped them off with their bikes. I continued on in the car to set up camp about 75 miles down the road and wait for them to arrive. Two more days of this (and about 220 miles later) we were at the northern point of Lake Superior with two broken bikes and lots of rocks to hike on. Overall, it was a great trip. The weather was great, the scenery was beautiful (as always) and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine">brown gravy</a> was flowing. Here are a few pictures from the trip:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfcuse9-ZHE37Ra48mAnpmhqvyTdFFs_BLIeOKEwgi1BACarQBHr9UUp6zPHK3_TJQHYPpP1P1eYN1hGKyGZNeV9X4D8bw-MPQS74-PNcTPb7ZhuhhAL7KgCbDQ_p01tW0QrRQQ/s1600-h/2008+Canada+Trip+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfcuse9-ZHE37Ra48mAnpmhqvyTdFFs_BLIeOKEwgi1BACarQBHr9UUp6zPHK3_TJQHYPpP1P1eYN1hGKyGZNeV9X4D8bw-MPQS74-PNcTPb7ZhuhhAL7KgCbDQ_p01tW0QrRQQ/s400/2008+Canada+Trip+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244380505117525010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLW-Xutfrg2hZ0ol09aTLJMsrph4Npc-BvKTdTeH8QMIBLYS-yehCuppAAxIG3ofm4oYVaKvPznD3lDpwotVCQz1Lrsuiyxf5mkTpiq3IKZs1yI_3vFOhu6ZJcH9ldK3Du3lAwg/s1600-h/2008+Canada+Trip+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLW-Xutfrg2hZ0ol09aTLJMsrph4Npc-BvKTdTeH8QMIBLYS-yehCuppAAxIG3ofm4oYVaKvPznD3lDpwotVCQz1Lrsuiyxf5mkTpiq3IKZs1yI_3vFOhu6ZJcH9ldK3Du3lAwg/s400/2008+Canada+Trip+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244380509959634146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6t6MNPtyPwoQO9ujZfYDTe2urEdfL6zYqt4r4ADcOgzTmnv2uUGnuZAz1KWo9PxDDTR9upK7E3nAt2F3LR5xVz117KRjlphnuWqhoeI9X9Ah1ABlLuNN3_y5fvOWMYY1hQhORWw/s1600-h/2008+Canada+Trip+038.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6t6MNPtyPwoQO9ujZfYDTe2urEdfL6zYqt4r4ADcOgzTmnv2uUGnuZAz1KWo9PxDDTR9upK7E3nAt2F3LR5xVz117KRjlphnuWqhoeI9X9Ah1ABlLuNN3_y5fvOWMYY1hQhORWw/s400/2008+Canada+Trip+038.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244380522820707730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5gb7-xbD_t3FOyV86q6WtzVJJxOgkhswAdD-0l7-VOFpnQaon3ZuYMWBvChaZwMjWhTVrS0-EibgdRy2RcNV78Wyf_SPdZRiaET1sORVudnzmveKtWxulWJ6TIscosnicOF-eg/s1600-h/2008+Canada+Trip+035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5gb7-xbD_t3FOyV86q6WtzVJJxOgkhswAdD-0l7-VOFpnQaon3ZuYMWBvChaZwMjWhTVrS0-EibgdRy2RcNV78Wyf_SPdZRiaET1sORVudnzmveKtWxulWJ6TIscosnicOF-eg/s400/2008+Canada+Trip+035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244380513906331266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqddhXoKnTUW0fZUfUC9JlDxFCP620WR4Ud5QzDaSr1iVfkAeXKvT8EEbNIV3ckrrMZATb4jA8rxlBcKUfsrEjbd8p7OG028NQAeD47isFWrfloxMJGZhUhzFTCoifGCHb3_iVQ/s1600-h/2008+Canada+Trip+047.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqddhXoKnTUW0fZUfUC9JlDxFCP620WR4Ud5QzDaSr1iVfkAeXKvT8EEbNIV3ckrrMZATb4jA8rxlBcKUfsrEjbd8p7OG028NQAeD47isFWrfloxMJGZhUhzFTCoifGCHb3_iVQ/s400/2008+Canada+Trip+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244382297825586754" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBD-n1112CgsAt-M4rGWPWqtjtLNCtHGDd-wxlXsjlzI0nt_r8KkCeqyZjvtYw5-6RZP6g1ZluWF-wVioud-P9mCLB_1YgTt_v6Qv6Pxlb6LsVWIdAwZYiB7lMzu6PGJkEAcRFg/s1600-h/2008+Canada+Trip+062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBD-n1112CgsAt-M4rGWPWqtjtLNCtHGDd-wxlXsjlzI0nt_r8KkCeqyZjvtYw5-6RZP6g1ZluWF-wVioud-P9mCLB_1YgTt_v6Qv6Pxlb6LsVWIdAwZYiB7lMzu6PGJkEAcRFg/s400/2008+Canada+Trip+062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244382300134801794" border="0" /></a>Oh - and I almost forgot! I had the opportunity to see my most favorite band of all time right here in GR at the end of July. Steve and I got some last-minute tickets to see Blind Melon and it was so awwwwesome. I know, I know - one-hit wonders with the bee girl and all that crap. But I am proud to be one of the five people in this town who own and know everything this band has ever put out and with their new lead singer, they put on a pretty great show. I definitely made a huge ass of myself and enjoyed every minute of it :)<br /><br />Finally - my last domestic project for a while (that I had to keep secret until a<a href="http://www.jserfass.spaces.live.com/"> certain little baby</a> was born....)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3Pf5A8H91-MACR5y99hMN8vX2iqZsb0VyYlMbdFjw-a66c1HOkULY4dz0maqE47EAYnAXYycj8GkIGH9PyLKAsC_n_DWzvC07YhmyOyfWtpl787vji2PgFARVGaKRw0ZUuQaIw/s1600-h/sue+576.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3Pf5A8H91-MACR5y99hMN8vX2iqZsb0VyYlMbdFjw-a66c1HOkULY4dz0maqE47EAYnAXYycj8GkIGH9PyLKAsC_n_DWzvC07YhmyOyfWtpl787vji2PgFARVGaKRw0ZUuQaIw/s400/sue+576.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244384357151582322" border="0" /></a>I think that's it - <a href="http://www.kisscross.com/">cyclocross season</a> starts this weekend and although I'm not racing, I'm looking forward to spectating and catching up with some friends I haven't seen in a looooong time. Riding has taken a major backseat to other priorities lately and I'm sad for that. But there's not much I can do about it except sneak in some miles when I can. I do plan on joining in with a new group of <a href="http://www.grrando.org/">randonneurs</a> here in GR to get some longer rides in before the snow flies. And as always I will promise to keep current on the blog but we all know how that turns out. Happy (almost) fall to you!Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-68124899565767980502008-07-22T16:47:00.003-04:002008-07-22T16:51:37.963-04:00Cutest Cat Ever<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qIT_iiEx6zt5JW7ePlyFcMp8iMR6b1RFefF9Sz06KH9Vtq3dQTipI9RiB3K-wliH1aWl3YA1rpUcUmOtZ2NtMI9pW7sv9Kl9F9PCuzmWL5mF8dWdwrPKSctAlYl0DUsfKz4yVQ/s1600-h/cat+044.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225943873204623346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qIT_iiEx6zt5JW7ePlyFcMp8iMR6b1RFefF9Sz06KH9Vtq3dQTipI9RiB3K-wliH1aWl3YA1rpUcUmOtZ2NtMI9pW7sv9Kl9F9PCuzmWL5mF8dWdwrPKSctAlYl0DUsfKz4yVQ/s400/cat+044.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sorry this is so lame but I love my cat. Things are good but super busy so this is about as good as you're going to get from me for a little while..... enjoy!Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-46611796687590751842008-07-05T16:44:00.003-04:002008-07-05T17:09:52.458-04:00Bah HumbugI shouldn't be complaining but I have to say that of all the holidays we celebrate here in America, the 4th of July has to be the most annoying. Of course I like the significance of the holiday and I like America but I don't understand why we have to celebrate it with such stupidity. Aren't gas prices and food prices ridiculous? Isn't the housing market in the crapper? Doesn't Michigan have the highest unemployment rate in the country? Yes to all (at least I think we have the highest unemployment rate.....). Anyway - explain to me how <em>everyone</em> has enough money to buy explosives. It's no different than putting all of your money in a pile and lighting it on fire - in fact, I would have much preferred it if my next-door neighbor would have done that last night AT MIDNIGHT since it would have been much quieter. Instead we got 45 minutes of Baghdad. Sweet. Tomorrow morning he's going to get about 45 minutes of big circular saw......<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219637158022364498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeu1B99aYHlJoDJoWJULsiCRJULsUwj5R92rd1jTAnabNwqnZ8rCF8Ghp3jqhn4COe_9z1Wt00WMZEvxDoSXxF6CXo3hiNXAoB7jRQosa2cB8-6m38uQ3XdhrsHSisq_DekFwqg/s400/sue+545.jpg" border="0" /> <div>We've been working around the house for most of this holiday weekend - Steve built a clothesline for the backyard (I'd post a picture but really, it's just a clothesline....) and tomorrow we're making a screen to fit in one of our front windows so we can have a nice breeze in our living room. One project we weren't planning on, though, was to have to scrape and repaint a wall in our basement. During the monsoon we got on Wednesday, our basement wall sprang a leak so we've peeled off all the old paint and repainted it with Drylock. Not much fun but since we're at it, we've decided to paint the same wall with a cool color to brighten up the laundry room. We're buying the celeste paint tomorrow. The storm was pretty impressive, though, and it gave me the opportunity to drive down the sidewalk since our street was so flooded. This is what it looked like just before the wind and rain started. And a picture of our cat helping us out with our chores.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219637169418077538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1VxRjlo9Yr-Bzzay2PyqODoUjmxhVhWOd0wzsm3Vw0jwO_nj5NyRBxN_onqdU4PFlAjGbE_MEAzCc6OWBpTCaZtMP6v_dfNDJONKFggg2tw0GPO7c6cr5UtX9_p8cIgM9ADwkA/s400/sue+544.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219637177007989202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyzPhyvQBtkkbyF0u6Od2TFIpmmtT_KFCKayrP_zawWgWCHvOLxG5F-XoZBFaW8AYY7NMS0FmRSxPKf8uykMcWEqbbcwd4bcNw21COsFE2NxO_JYmwUtjJuuayL_oP_YBhSVXXw/s400/sue+543.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>I did manage a ride today - about 3.5 hours on my mountain bike. I tried out a friend's saddle for the ride and immediately regretted it. Nothing like riding around with a 2x4 for a seat. Ouch. But with all the housework and homework I've got piling up, it was good to get out and just pedal for a while. I rode from our house in Alger, picked up a friend downtown, rode out to Egypt Valley, did a lap, and rode home. Probably 35ish miles - not too shabby for not having really ridden much this week.</p><p>So that's it for now - more chores tomorrow and back to reality on Monday. I'm going through a slight withdrawal, though. I have my vestibular test on Monday and there are strict instructions to avoid alcohol for 48 hours prior to the test. Now who's the idiot who scheduled this test for the Monday after a long weekend? Duh. </p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-5150144620799068712008-06-28T09:46:00.003-04:002008-06-28T10:13:26.947-04:00Wrap UpIn an attempt to be better about keeping this thing current, here I am with another post! I just wish I had something exciting to report. But if you don't know me by now, you'll soon realize that not much is happening in my little world lately. Which is honestly a good thing....<br /><div></div><br /><div>A couple of things from this past week, though. Steve and I attended a pretty cool <a href="http://www.greengrandrapids.us/">forum</a> on Wednesday night in downtown GR to put our two cents into the city's new master plan. We were part of a group that discussed how to implement bike lanes into the existing city streets and how to connect different areas of the city by bypassing major traffic routes. Pretty cool stuff. There will be two more public forums in the future and I urge all of my GR peeps to consider attending. Oh - and you may become <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/06/residents_gather_for_some_gree.html#more">local celebrities</a> like us :) </div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://www.velocityusa.com/">Work</a> has been crazy lately. We're currently getting ready to move from our little 3,000 sq. foot warehouse into one that's nearly 16,000 sq. feet. And we're trying to work through it. It will definitely be stressful but I added to that stress yesterday by driving our forklift halfway through the overhead door in the back of the warehouse. The door wasn't pushed up high enough to clear the forklift so as I was backing out to move a pallet, I didn't realize this until I heard the CRACK of the door being ripped out of its frame. Luckily my coworkers came to my rescue with a few hammers and prybars (and lots of four letter words) and got the door back into "shape" within a half hour. I'm so glad I have such a cool boss.</div><br /><div></div><div>See? Nothing exciting. Although I want to pass along my cousin <a href="http://www.namaste-kathmandu.blogspot.com/">Brian's blog </a>- he and his wife Shibani are in Nepal to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary and make their marriage official according to Nepalese traditions. They are staying with Shibani's family and have had quite an adventure so far. We went to their wedding last year where they had both American and Hindu wedding ceremonies - it was a gorgeous day.</div><br /><div></div><div>And finally - Steve and I took a trip out to the lake last Sunday to unwind and watch the sunset. We got kind of bored waiting for the sun to set....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216934975494109122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCgWM6cTiEP02nJei9S-KITEBqDKOeVOPeoL8xypvIZNVioeiG7bsRKQu-VXtE0f0F3JsBbqtZXQde0J3yXmkm9077NmYmB8fwWKwIjXiHIFJDoW_vUc2pDNj6-Y8Vtu063HiJQ/s400/beach+018.jpg" border="0" /></div><br />But then it finally did.....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216934979686533730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREsW6ztegBF-IijOfKaIfZsygSwGmUWKFn5jXsNangL9zsEpuH8Tq4UonaDYQ1RVP8yElRfb4bK7AZKIOIcqtkRNOV-ewY66sH15WsX5hoXBscPZxNWjkDiXJL8InEy460656Mw/s400/beach+031.jpg" border="0" />So that's that. Hope to have more entertaining news in the near future :)Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-41335719975105856012008-06-21T10:36:00.007-04:002008-06-21T11:48:51.800-04:00Damn Can Koozie.....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XYEbH4e7rEOq-ZeekTZ5r930r98-9v7kQKJpRbXHEvgAyAoVP_HkxbKkOZjfdQ_V5XI0tYhMWmEguTK7imPELEOibsnyrQChQkVzaerhG-aW4v703HXdPZGFKFGF64kqWQuVdg/s1600-h/sue+540.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214354091232976546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XYEbH4e7rEOq-ZeekTZ5r930r98-9v7kQKJpRbXHEvgAyAoVP_HkxbKkOZjfdQ_V5XI0tYhMWmEguTK7imPELEOibsnyrQChQkVzaerhG-aW4v703HXdPZGFKFGF64kqWQuVdg/s400/sue+540.jpg" border="0" /></a> Geez - over a month has gone by already. Obviously I never posted my NYC trip report, although I think I've probably seen all three of my blog readers since then so they've heard the story already. It was a great trip, though - I really hope to visit again and do some exploring off the beaten path in the city.<br /><br /><div><div>Time is still flying by but luckily there's nothing too crazy to report. School is going well - I'm really enjoying my class this semester and have learned some really cool stuff. Most recently I've learned how to hook someone up to an electrocardiograph (ECG) machine and how to interpret the waveforms of the heartbeat. Pretty neat. We were able to practice with a machine in lab and I'm happy to say that my heart appears perfectly normal - although my heart rate was 51 and it set the machine's "low heart rate" alarm off. I was pretty proud of that. </div><br /><div>Although my heart is normal, something in my head is not. (I know.... shocker....) Seriously, though, I've been experiencing progressively worse and unexplained dizziness since April and am finally getting some tests done to figure out why. At first I thought I had a sinus infection but I had no other symptoms and my blood results didn't show anything abnormal (i.e. infection). The doctor cleaned out my ears and I thought maybe my problems would go away. They didn't and have actually gotten worse - I now have dizzy spells every day that last for hours. There is no rhyme or reason to them - there is no pattern to when they occur and they don't improve if I sit down or eat. It's crazy and it's been getting me down but I'm hoping to have some answers soon. I go in for <a href="http://www.american-hearing.org/testing/vestibular_testing.html">vestibular testing</a> in July. </div><br /><div>The good thing is that I can still ride my bike, though, and have been trying to get out as much as I can. Steve and I worked at the <a href="http://www.lumberjack100.com/">Lumberjack 100</a> race last weekend and I am was utterly impressed and inspired by the racers. Part of me almost wants to make it a goal to train and try to race next year.... we'll see about that, I suppose. Steve and I took a quick trip up to the North Country Trail this week and rode from the M20 trailhead in White Cloud. It was just a nice day to be out and tooling around on a bike. Our bikes seem to have enjoyed themselves, too. Maybe we'll get a few new little bikes out of this excursion......<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214354088630333986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKPkSkAcZF_R6fNzd1hWOJkMCRIO62Wz76GnHHmIRm4E1x7KJtAcQwNgXJ9FkYRNDbVRTOJqJR7t-UL9edB4KXe8ww1NJ6Ln0wa1Ks_qYlXwVYnc-kDFGVGwZDrJTRyyfhOzzMQ/s400/sue+538.jpg" border="0" /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214354078977667122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtOG-Ks0WkgjKAePBxp9d9qdIvDuGyDMmCg7Skwx2E-Mg1qW2WD1ywQqbmUQ4vvbRUi2yYFcBp9zqPm1Px9S3kmrvtyJOW6c5GTM2N-BnwAuE-_cxgeY4GX6RrMkrkcucWDe8cA/s400/sue+539.jpg" border="0" />The day after the Lumberjack we went to my dad's to visit for Father's Day and this is what we found in his driveway:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214350228212574370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2UrltyU93ikdaw6r3h6A3-_a4kvLlXHgJ5HTE1HPwpba15L-8FBuHbNOtfqtVKVO2NSoCbbBwUfyehfgO_AuAl_3WVXXBQJSFUDWtYGn9preUaozbL0EAEGhebmD2v2L002ugQ/s400/sue+523.jpg" border="0" /></div>The trailer is full of the water-logged contents of their basement. Due to the torrential rains that hit the Cadillac area (12 inches in 12 hours), my dad's basement flooded and we arrived just in time to help tear out wet carpet and move out wet furniture. It's awful enough to have 3 inches of water in your basement - I can't imagine what the people in the Midwest are going through. The lake levels in Cadillac rose so high that my dad's pontoon boat was lifted up and off its hoist and floated all the way to the other side of the lake. Many people lost their boats and their docks because the lake rose so quickly. Everything is good now, though. The boat is safe (and undamaged) and the basement has dried out and has stayed that way. Here in GR, we haven't had any basement issues of our own and that makes me happy.<br /><br />And finally, two more pictures. I've been indulging my nesting instinct and have taken on a few domestic projects lately. One has to be kept secret for a little while longer and the other was just completed last week. It's my first attempt at upholstery and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I found this chair for $3 at the Salvation Army and probably spent about $30 on supplies for it. Not bad for a first try - although the problem now is that the cat has taken up permanent residence on this chair in the living room and has added a nice layer of cat fur to my upholstery fabric. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214360298477329026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0CqSEkcF5i5R5JfTeuaX6FJVQN0osWTwl0yqyv37t5Hv4O0daJ4qYQpTB5JI1sgo7c4ZnQy1HvQYraLLEPuM3ZWHaFzwsu5QtIFEN-_ehXCJLSxavcL8n-9y5RbflChR0W9I4g/s400/sue+518.jpg" border="0" /> <p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214360310297112674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxDZ-Z7LZTh-TGDWFIHvMJ6pGp9QxJUy01MAxvfdFeNMnAWSV59BnaROVEbBPQzVkj_E-CcdX2UR-hLs8mRVG1hzf5HT3pWxKUYdDqish9gAJQNiTTnjDhG1DovngDZ_gYVhU2w/s400/sue+521.jpg" border="0" />Anyway - I always promise to be better about keeping up-to-date when I end my posts but it never seems to happen. So no more promises - besides shouldn't you be working instead of reading blogs on the internet??</p><p>Happy summer!</p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-68255445312082440572008-05-15T08:55:00.003-04:002008-05-15T09:03:37.284-04:00I Know, I KnowSorry I've been so absent - I promise I'm working on a synopsis of our NYC trip. Just had a lot to take care of when we got home. I love going on trips but I don't like all of the catch up when it's time to go home - and this time it was finals, work, more travelling, ant-slaying, ripping up half of our yard, etc. I did get all of my pictures posted up, though. Click <a href="http://www.sueswiger.shutterfly.com/">here</a>. Hopefully they're pretty self explanatory since I didn't get the chance to add captions. My semester break this week is whizzing by quickly but the good thing is that my class load this summer is half of what it was last semester. AND it's my last semester in the classroom - the rest of the year (starting in September) will be spent doing clinicals and I'm <em>very</em> excited for that. Time is flying by, that's for sure. I feel like I'm trying to stay on its wheel and not get dropped! Just hope it slows down at some point very soon.....Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-78582074483849452052008-05-05T22:28:00.004-04:002008-05-05T22:37:28.072-04:00Stay TunedJust got back from NYC - lots of catching up to do but a here are a few pictures until I get the rest loaded up. Incredible journey, that's for sure.....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197087752724321314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AuZsu2OqY16rXk8klGPNHZqP43F-H-_Hb1hYoK91RR4p8cmufki7lgqQ13m7ulTIg6tPx4sqEHBqOHOwOX1uXcZbrJSXmXlqk3JzzEY6KKiEgbgMdJ2LcRnV0qT7qdTz8rgUXA/s400/NYC08+023.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE1w_b7qGZmOxX-BtPpkIFjJeTomXgbnCgTg-Uc_gEFrN2J5zoMLUQvfmjBsUuzIjb6SOO6u9l2fwSGzPgjJRTzqh9vq5fu0b8oJeisWdNtv-o2f6U4cS1EMLHFKBKcfzND_9qw/s1600-h/NYC08+070.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197087022579880978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE1w_b7qGZmOxX-BtPpkIFjJeTomXgbnCgTg-Uc_gEFrN2J5zoMLUQvfmjBsUuzIjb6SOO6u9l2fwSGzPgjJRTzqh9vq5fu0b8oJeisWdNtv-o2f6U4cS1EMLHFKBKcfzND_9qw/s400/NYC08+070.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197088302480135218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-haVv7znGQ_sYHzzaN1BkHI1RXNcgdZwSAC1EVKquLrB3FScyFPjkrDz-X7rS5FHmNwxqvle_vz4TFOUCIRDc3zZfmtHwNxmhb6cNfpBVqwEmwh2Bacr3UcVWRlfjeFkNchD7A/s400/NYC08+091.jpg" border="0" /></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-83528138161011926722008-03-27T09:10:00.002-04:002008-03-27T09:22:08.333-04:00Spring Training<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhpcD2FsMBO7tkmxSV5R_baBUn0ib7-kmhr0HS2kCOr79fH37iybW5iHIAaKeeWCbdbZt4JrQcmUv5YabhUvizhvMIRB4eP8_f0nG1nGyyTOZXAYPR8xpAm2uTJC3oYIB_58l-Q/s1600-h/sue.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182408893759954082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhpcD2FsMBO7tkmxSV5R_baBUn0ib7-kmhr0HS2kCOr79fH37iybW5iHIAaKeeWCbdbZt4JrQcmUv5YabhUvizhvMIRB4eP8_f0nG1nGyyTOZXAYPR8xpAm2uTJC3oYIB_58l-Q/s400/sue.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is what approximately 16 lbs of cat food looks like crammed into a small messenger bag. And yes, I weighed it. I had this strange feeling as I was packing it that my impromptu ride to the Humane Society was going to turn into more of a pilgrimage than a ride. But luckily I was wrong. It was just a slow ride in the swooshy spring wind under a big bright sun. The cat food is what we collected at the alleycat a few weekends ago - one of the tasks during the race was to buy a can of cat food (NOT a can of potatoes as one, er, rider did). The kitties at the shelter have lots of tasty food to eat now. And I'll tell you what - it's a good thing I was on my bike yesterday because if I had driven there, all of those kitties would have come home with me. I made the mistake of walking through the shelter before I started for home - just the cat part since I couldn't bring myself to walk through the dog door - and now I'm trying to convince both Steve and Fausto that there is room in our house for one more cat. I guess we'll see....Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-35887041436714158512008-03-25T21:21:00.003-04:002008-03-25T21:29:26.391-04:00Yes No?So I bought a new hoodie today. And Steve hates it. I got it for $8 at the hoochie mama store in the mall when I went to the post office to mail some packages for work. I was just feeling like I haven't really bought anything fun and not practical in quite a while and thought $8 wasn't going to break the bank. But when I took it out of the bag at home, you would have thought it was a pile of steaming roadkill by the look on Steve's face. I don't know - I think it's great but I guess you can judge for yourself. Just be sure to tell me it's cool when you see me wearing it about town.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181856195893468306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSsRAZZaumeF_jsDRJ0cJ-lWzTvtEozApgWKNMqRoMvNM8MyTHUkCItO1mSVpijDEMuxCXDBAVtxqgCQrO6tLOARa6ruO5hdE7LdMktapMRyhiBqxIHUykxaimhT9MrOhqTQWliQ/s400/sue+512.jpg" border="0" />Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-17927827145231265662008-03-20T21:49:00.003-04:002008-03-20T22:25:35.743-04:004 Realz<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9imv571x7P-zwHrWKs2rGVn1WF9-mEhKpIM4TNauq5zWyHcXTMXy90SXMcNhqsgFvNL3heIAMoWeOJmK5KVnnpDSdWLvtlrGzVv2AMV109cp8SKxjZ0tK9RIR7d0CP69HTHIug/s1600-h/photo_031508_005a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180006692781497426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9imv571x7P-zwHrWKs2rGVn1WF9-mEhKpIM4TNauq5zWyHcXTMXy90SXMcNhqsgFvNL3heIAMoWeOJmK5KVnnpDSdWLvtlrGzVv2AMV109cp8SKxjZ0tK9RIR7d0CP69HTHIug/s400/photo_031508_005a.jpg" border="0" /></a> I didn't take this picture but Steve and I saw these at the hoopty Meijer last weekend and I'm so ticked that we didn't buy one! I especially like Dude Bunny - straight cold playa.</div><br /><div></div><div>So we're finally past the Kisscross Alleycat and have pretty much recovered from it. What a riot - we had almost 70 racers (although we'd only planned for about 45....) and a gorgeous sunny day. What more could we ask for? For those unfamiliar, an alleycat is basically a scavenger hunt bike race. Alleycats originated in bigger cities where bike messengers would compete to see who could complete all of their tasks and stops in the fastest time. This was the third <a href="http://www.kisscross.com/">Kisscross</a> alleycat here in GR and by far the biggest. Steve and I planned the route this year and we included a timed stop, a stop at the top of a 2-story snow pile, and (of course) the obligatory beer-chug stop with the added bonus of having to eat a marshmallow Peep before continuing on. Lots of pictures posted <a href="http://www.kisscross.smugmug.com/gallery/4527826_Ttoyv#266607227">here</a> - we're definitely already looking forward to next year! (And huge thanks to Rick and Cathy for bringing the alleycat to GR!!)</div><br /><div></div><div>Not much else to report - my spring break is over and it was back to the grind this week. But I think we're pretty much done with winter. I saw my first robin last Friday and, aside from a few stubborn little snowpiles at the end of the driveway, our yard is clear. Now there's no hiding the fact that we didn't rake up the last of the leaves that fell before the snow hit.</div><div> </div><div>Anyway - here's to sunny days ahead and no more snow. At least I hope so..... </div><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-42548498805513190892008-03-08T16:30:00.002-05:002008-03-08T16:57:17.819-05:00I Heart My Surly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdwa9otpLsVPgBBuPiWu9zWRrLWy7vYnJUVZyCUsoeXQyBKvEPVKGqYC30-zokKOKeXsQv801J5XGmRB7nm5ALBOaOVWfXpVvtz5jhqunA3PO-WmzgOYPNJBhWMaC_wUz7bUhzw/s1600-h/bikefun+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175493124859378066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdwa9otpLsVPgBBuPiWu9zWRrLWy7vYnJUVZyCUsoeXQyBKvEPVKGqYC30-zokKOKeXsQv801J5XGmRB7nm5ALBOaOVWfXpVvtz5jhqunA3PO-WmzgOYPNJBhWMaC_wUz7bUhzw/s320/bikefun+007.jpg" border="0" /></a> Yeah..... sorry to fall off the face of the Earth, there. Work, school, blah blah blah.....<br /><div></div><br /><div>Today is my first official day of spring break so I thought I'd give the blog an little update. Like I said, school and work have been keeping me very busy. This semester has been a little crazy because some of my classes have been starting/ending at different times and most of them have been accelerated to fit the other ones in. I guess it will be this way until the end of the summer - oh yay. Things at <a href="http://www.velocityusa.com/">Velocity</a> have picked up to a record pace - we can't seem to work fast enough! It's amazing how many rims and wheels we send out of that place in a day. Word seems to be getting out.</div><br /><div></div><div>Bike-wise, I've been getting some miles in by commuting to work every day and riding the trainer in my basement. I'm not too sure what my goals are going to be this year - I really have nothing to train for (not yet, anyway) and I really don't <em>want</em> anything to train for since my school schedule is likely to be so nuts over the summer. Last year's training for Rainier just about put me over the edge of my sanity so perhaps this would be a good year to just chill out and enjoy the time I have to play. One thing I'm really looking forward to is heading to NYC in May to do the <a href="http://http//www.bikenewyork.org/rides/fbbt/index.html">Five Boro Bike Tour </a>with Steve, my dad, and my brother. What a way to see the city for the first time!</div><br /><div></div><div>Today was a good day. A little cold (wind chill about 10 degrees or so) but I still managed a three hour ride outside. What started out as a ride toward Middleville (south) with some friends turned into a solo ride to Rockford (north) for me. Riding north to meet the others gave me a taste of the wind conditions and I wasn't really in the mood to ride home into the wind so it was just me and the Surly. The promise of new toe warmers lured me up to Rockford but wouldn't you know that none of the three places I stopped had them?! Dang. I did get a chance to renew my love affair with the Surly, though. Stripped of all its commuting accoutrements (fenders, frame pump, studded tires, etc.) makes it a lean machine and we had a great time. Hope the weather is this great for next weekend's <a href="http://www.kisscross.com/">alleycat</a>!</div><br /><div></div><div>Last but not least - an explanation of FABG. I guess this may be my project this year. FABG = Fat Ass Be Gone. I've realized that I'm not that young anymore and things (i.e. my metabolism, dammit) are just not working the way they used to. So this is my project. As of today, I'm down about 9 lbs since January and I'm looking forward to the weather getting better so I can get out of my basement and do some longer rides outside. Maybe I'll run this year. Ew.... maybe I won't. Anyway - there ya go. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175493137744279970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZpupCVgvQZwWqDkx254UZiFSweYqUmOvzBLc7psHuGn8KeeMyxGOfU1aw1kRec_VaXWbCa-dlHMQy8wPhnxUIRQhqSEhysstF6-8G-iSuJ0xhTY8vBMfgl4zV7sToRayG6fyLw/s320/bikefun+008.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-75745545870802341802008-02-08T08:43:00.000-05:002008-02-10T09:35:11.548-05:00Not This TimeWell - after a combined total of 20 hours of travel time (driving, cancelled flights, holding patterns, and more driving) the mountain still emerged victorious. Next time we may not be so nice....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164606995634023474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRqtBW7iBiKoR9CwlBMw2cffRgYPJpXqBJNeLabkFn_E92QorikiSdFFvgKo7c_0m-8peMRJpsz5qQQwcIy-nC1RCUl51GoA4c7NF4IMVy11sUypU1LCKF46QWPbXE4vk41dSkQ/s320/wash+003.jpg" border="0" />I started my trip on Thursday night driving to Chicago in a snowstorm to meet up with Jessica. We woke up at 4 the next morning to find that our flight had already been cancelled. Quick manuvers by Jessica got us on the next flight out at 10:30am - which ended up being cancelled as well. We were finally buckled in and ready to go around 1:30pm. What should have been a 2-hour flight turned into a 3+ hour flight because of the weather in New Hampshire. After our eventual crash landing in Manchester (seriously.... thought it was the end...) we got our rental car and hit the road for our 2 hour drive to North Conway, NH. In keeping with the trend of the day, the roads sucked and about 4.5 hours later we were just pulling into the parking lot of the hotel. Whew! Oh wait..... we still had to climb a mountain the next day. <div><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164608108030553154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zwZfGZWe69H-bE5NUMKFRGoXyy-u3rwVg3wB9PUHMUOx5zIRM3gdwRwZu1d7QYMiIOLXKvZTZosCiDGDKSWBjtnK_-Jn6aGIXVlzERNSI2KUw_M0D4fxj1hyfHiGcOdsTuWViw/s320/wash+007.jpg" border="0" /> Team Rockstar was reunited when we met up with Nancy - so cool to be climbing another mountain together again! In total, we had 13 members on our climbing squad - some very experienced and some first-and second-timers (like me). Once again, it was a great group of people and I'm happy to have had the chance to meet them. We met for breakfast early Saturday morning and hit the mountain around 9am. The weather looked promising as the clouds started to break up during our initial ascent. The first part of our climb took us up the Tuckerman's Ravine Trail, which is wide and has a moderately gentle grade. The snow was gorgeous and powdery - more snow than I think I've ever seen in my life. When we came to the Lions Head trail, it was time to put on some extra layers and crampons and get our ice axes ready. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164608881124666466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjy170bvJI9uA6Vf3mgmdeqlHRGqVN0INet_boJ6YYUA_YHaP82xs8frkeHNAsWfocCiEEuccWAywpVmAr1WLHTgnJACZ4UVOyzyBz0Y73psTxCznnvpCQeaEPvUWqSYZs5oXTQ/s320/wash+016.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164608842469960786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpKgSPE8o9B9j6TpgymHj_2JKzKFHoKQJH7KmcL8qMKJpvYmlSXufz4zNzBosKsdTlfpDyeSfMBfWZ79KsXZycaJEWqH3lHj1ARkKfhoCtO-VPMAZBfR68hLhbb08opmo9HLpjg/s320/wash+015.jpg" border="0" />About a hundred feet up this trail is where my underestimation of this mountain became painfully obvious. People may <em>hike</em> this mountain in the summer - but they <em><strong>climb</strong></em> it in the winter. The trail became steep and technical - and awesome. The crampons and ice axes were an absolute necessity as we clawed our way up through the trees toward treeline. As we ascended, the trees thinned out and the wind and snow became stronger. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164611569774193794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXQqAXQxTDHZgxgx9a9lJd2D7ny5W2uKcajNddrZsehmgaOpr81zWcfH3bSsZlAxWZdawErggCAtgOSWDKkrJ-TXgp2G4w68HhNUwEf_nK8h2S7eAtCaZbleTPVh6FZ01d0Y4gQ/s320/wash+023.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164611505349684338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1sK8W8NDsXX0-2qYbQxByQ28XEhRqdVAbvLPeErw2U2FL0jigeqiQ0F7pPyEXIzAgY5c6xywc-SyqWYW23F2xswfEnE8U4yi_F15Jrsvrtrm-qgjpFY-iBzq9HDNM7mk2HaDig/s320/wash+022.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164611642788637842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLK-8ETsgIEqncP8_VCN82ungNerVk5UeylmGte0Gl1HksySmXp4eIuKKBenx1zVBRJW2Iv0bv8wD6w1HRwoc9NWUYB_MzqTp5pyEqA2Li4vpRyyUxSH745O56q3oPfPTru7d0hw/s320/wash+025.jpg" border="0" />I was having a bit of an 'in-over-my-head' feeling once we got out of the trees and started climbing in full exposure to the snow and wind. Conditions were not good - 50mph sustained winds with unpredictable gusts of 70mph or more as well as visibility of less than about 20 feet. Add this to the powdery snow (which was not conducive to providing stable footing during the wind gusts) and steamed-up ski goggles (which were not conducive to seeing <em>anything</em>) and I was relatively sure we were not going to summit this time. </div><div><br /><div>We did, however, make it up to Lions Head which is a rock outcropping roughly 3/4 of the way to the summit. Above this outcrop, the topography of the mountain changes slightly and the grade levels out into a wide plateau. It was there that the 50 mph sustained winds turned into 90 mph sustained winds - enough to knock most of us off our feet. The top windspeed recorded on Mt. Washington that day was 118 mph! All things considered, I was very proud that we made it as far as we did and very content to make Lions Head our summit for the day.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165354103096966978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFVZXFSK4PKvja-81GfcV8VpIhLqjaHuwVQ1CsW6yy_JdPMpVyuGet2lOemfCIlBOqPl6O0XhBeGdGPPug11YOBYPf8kVBUdv9XUt4D2mEYS0evkb4lB0aDmGayXqh2DBeUAh0A/s320/wash+033.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165354107391934290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbk4Sb96v65ROS6bLkOYYmBuLOYt392siZ03OuehvURwtROMqwdyhuyd5inzr05bdnOuz8pXQ1fwnWzCXDQDW9TEKmVf92A-vkmkNp0V1KOMXm1QGix5SiogdHyn5n3h2MRrjcQ/s320/wash+031.jpg" border="0" /> After a brief rest in the partial shelter of the rocks (and after shoving half of a frozen Charleston Chew in my mouth - yum!), we started to make our way back down the mountain. Getting back to treeline sure was a relief! Perhaps the most fun we had that day was being able to slide down most of the Lions Head trail using our ice axe blades as rudders to navigate the sharp corners. At that point, I felt like we were a bunch of kids playing in the snow. The sun got brighter as we descended and by the time we made it off the Lions Head trail, it had turned into a beautiful winter day. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165355258443169650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVXUWtzKp-efhpSPRdoJ12AEaPo890GWoD5JHguvyoievC_XR32Vx13rlkQSkCvXV1dqBOtjhdQJPnihkSv9KvFORh3w5S864R1hWn0rdbFH5glZhzorFPKDkwpAaJLfuAknyQA/s320/wash+038.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165355245558267746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqAxqod9ib0lfRMXhB38k1uha3NCFo-bLuGQR3zNveSsLI6LWEoAn9FWPuzH5BZLFBDrtIsytqvDdmed-HumJfIZXzRPAN1W-7tmhb61dYWG2PZg9O1DkC2lk79WuagZoMWGh0A/s320/wash+039.jpg" border="0" />Later that night, we filled our bellies with some wonderful Indian food and beer and talked about next year's attempt. If I am able, I will be there. </div><div><br /><div></div><div>Sunday morning came with some sore muscles - nothing that little bit of snowshoeing couldn't take care of. Afterwards, it was time to head back to Manchester for our flight back to Chicago. I almost didn't believe the pilot when he told us that we weren't going to be able to take off because of a snowstorm in Chicago. When we found ourselves getting back <em>off</em> the plane, I realized he wasn't kidding. After another hour of waiting, we were back on the plane and in the air. Smooth sailing? Not quite - 1.5 hour-long holding pattern over Cleveland, uber-turbulence on the descent, and a snowy landing in Chicago around 11pm. I rolled into our driveway at 5 on Monday morning, slightly less than ready to start my week full of school and work. Oh well, an adventure's and adventure, right? I had a great time but I think I'll be staying home for a while..... <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165357758114135938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEkTvvTYXn-0sSGIy6ZRbs7xNuVmwzKyVQhB1YMxbGRq4KFPu3T_7Iufz_QwkGfJzUq2YzYZHbbm4MYpSe9yUagX1VRhTGVTcH98UBm8UAfRko5jSlScyMc4GLmKRaO_doofRGJA/s320/wash+053.jpg" border="0" />The rest of my pictures are <a href="http://www.sueswiger.shutterfly.com/">here</a> - not too many of them this time since it's hard to take a picture with a frozen camera!</div></div></div></div></div></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-9703926180870281612008-01-31T09:19:00.001-05:002008-01-31T09:20:37.040-05:00Hee HeeWeather forecast for Mt. Washington on Saturday: 14 degrees and winds WNW at 50 mph. Yes, five-o. Sweeeeeeet.Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36028081.post-47013489976206675312008-01-28T14:57:00.000-05:002008-01-28T15:25:37.972-05:00Five Days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqN_imBCXXLb_mbYffVST6zgYGkKITHferf7b6Z1d3uNQWIRTXcnOm8-_SRCZ22ocp0r8smqONmsWkAV3aTdrLqopsuLkymJmYKn80x-tnm7sn7CmQspMm5aEsz6KufcZJrhCOXA/s1600-h/mount-washington.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160625522295925794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqN_imBCXXLb_mbYffVST6zgYGkKITHferf7b6Z1d3uNQWIRTXcnOm8-_SRCZ22ocp0r8smqONmsWkAV3aTdrLqopsuLkymJmYKn80x-tnm7sn7CmQspMm5aEsz6KufcZJrhCOXA/s320/mount-washington.jpg" border="0" /></a> Here we go again.... only five short days until I find myself bundled up at the bottom of a big ass mountain with nothing to do but put one foot in front of the other and climb it. Although I'm not really expecting the freakout that I had a few days before Rainier. No - this time around it's just a little bit of stress about the timeline (exactly <em>when</em> am I going to pack between work and school this week?). I suppose I could be packing at this moment, instead of sitting in front of the computer. But that's just not like me.<br /><br />I'm super excited, though - the weather report seems to change every day. On the summit today, the air temperature is 18 degrees with a windchill of -2 degrees. Last year on Feb. 2 (our climb day), the air temp was 8 degrees and a windchill advisory for temps below -40 was issued. So who knows? I can handle the 18/-2 degrees so if it stays like that - no problem.<br /><br />Gear-wise, I'm all set. I'm planning on renting a pair of double plastic mountianeering boots once I get out to New Hampshire since I don't think my leather La Sportivas will do the job. Otherwise, I've got my own crampons, ice axe, base layers, outer layers, and a sweet new pair (although they're pink.....) of <a href="http://http//www.smithoptics.com/Anthem_11_465.html">Smith goggles</a> (many thanks to the Smith rep for Ada Bike Shop).<br /><br />My training has really only consisted of lots of hours on my bike trainer so I'm hoping that's sufficient since there's nothing I can really do now. I've got a little bit of a soreness issue in my neck after this weekend's <a href="http://www.kisscross.com/">Snow Cross </a>race - a few nasty falls where my head sort of bounced on the ground - but it's nothing a little Advil can't take care of. I hope.<br /><br />So that's where I'm at. Wish me luck - I know it's going to be a great and exciting time whether we make the summit or not. Oh - and I've had a few questions about the new blog title. I'm not really ready to disclose what the FABG stands for as of yet but I'll accept some guesses.......Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01646841701051758989noreply@blogger.com0