"Y" is for

Y is for Yum. I love good food. The best part of traveling for work was getting to trt foods from different regions and sometimes different countries. Surprisingly, I was very very picky when I was a kid. I would eat burgers, hotdogs, and pizza. Something finally clicked and I found a huge world of fantastic foods.

"X" is for

X is for Xenophobia. Xenophobia is defined as the "hatred or fear of foreigners or strangers or of their politics or culture". 
There's a lot of this in our country. Our country that was created and built by immigrants.

"W" is for

W is for Why. I used to ask myself over and over, Why is it like this? What did I do to deserve such a thing? Why must I endure? After never getting answers to those questions, I realixe that it does not matter. Nothing will change if I found actual reasons. So I must move forward and make the best of it.

"V" is for

V is for "V" the movie and mini-series back in  the 80's. I  loved V when it came out. It was very well done for a tv show. Of course looking back now, it was pretty cheesy, but not as cheesy as the remake that has been on recently. I think more effort went into the special effects in the original than the one today. The new show uses low end computer graphics and it is painfully obvious. I'd much rather sit and watch the original.

"U" is for

U is for...  well it was going to be for Understanding, but Angee wrote an excellent blog on this today. So U will still be for understanding, but I will just direct you to her blog.
http://turtleinkpad.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-z-blog-challenge-u.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheTurtleInkPad+%28THE+TURTLE+INK+PAD%29

Angee, you are awesome!

Easter

It was a good Easter. I went out to visit my Grandmother. She is doing well, better each day. She has a long way to go, but if anyone can recover from a massive stroke, she can. She is very determined. We had Tyler for about 5 hours today. He is such a good kid. Great personality and funny. Although all the candy was like crack!

"T" is for

T is for so many things and labels in my life right now. Ones that I don't want to talk about here. So "T" will be for Tomorrow. Tomorrow is never set in stone. Use your time now to make tomorrow a great day and be happy.

"S" is for

S is for sewing.
  When I was very young, I would stay at my grandparents a lot. My grandmother was always sewing or crotcheting. I want to as well, so she taught me some basic techniques. No I like to sew when and get time. Jess bought me a nice sewing machine a couple years ago. I took many of my old, very large shirts, and tailored them down to fit. I did a couple pairs of pants too. I would like to make some of my own clothes, maybe start with some patterns at the fabric shop. I'll start with something easy.

"R" is for

R is for ride.
   I have a mountain bike ride this evening. It should be perfect weather for it. Add in some good friends and it doesn't get much better than that. :)

"Q" is for

Q is for Queen.
   One of the all time great bands. Freddie Mercury was an awesome singer and performer. Their music could range from hard rock to ballad to whimsical fun. In the old days of the super-groups, Queen was one of the best.

"P" is for

P is for parties.

    I want to start hosting more parties. I used to have at least 3 or 4 a year. Now, maybe one. I'd like to get a small group for wine and cheese parties, where evryone brings a bottle of good wine and a good cheese to share. I also want to do theme parties. Like an 80's or 70's party where the dress and music would be from those eras. A 40's or 20's party would be awesome too. And of course a drag theme would be fun. my drag costume would probably be a suit and tie, LOL.

"O" is for

O is for Opinions,

Like the old saying goes, "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one."  I don't care about other people's opinions of me. I care about my opinion and of those who are close to me. Everyone else doesn't matter. Not that their opinions don't scare me sometimes. They can think what they want as long as they don't act out in aggression toward me.

Making up for Sunday's post

Why am I sitting here in limbo? I need to get moving and start taking steps one way or another. Of course I have taken some, but there are so many more.

"N" is for

From Saturday

N is for Newbie. That is what I felt like after the Starlight Criterium race in Roanoke Saturday evening. It was a combined Catagory 4 and 5 race, so I knew it would be tough. I had to start near the back of a field of 70 or more riders. By the time I got rolling, the leaders were already around the first turn. I tried to make my way up through the pack, but it was just too strung out. After about 7 laps, I was already in danger of being lapped. Another factor was that my knee is still giving me some trouble. Anyway, I was pulled from the race like so many others that were about to be lapped. At the end, there were only 16 riders that finished. None of our team were in that group. Oh well, it's early in the season and my training is geared more toward mountain biking.

"M" is for

M is for Mexican food. I had it twice today. Our usual Friday lunch group from work went to La Carreta. Then after visiting my grandmother, who turned 81 today, my mom, aunt Jeanette, aunt Loretta, and I went to the Mexican restuarant in Amherst. I could eat it almost everyday. I love it, but it's still not as good as the authentic food I had in Mexico.

"L" is for

L is for Lightweight.
   I'm sure anybody who has only known me for a few years or so, would not believe how I looked 10 years ago. At one point I was over 200 pounds. I'm only 5' 8" and it wasn't muscle. I started cutting back on fast food, eating more for breakfast and lees for dinner, and started cycling. Now I usually stay around 150-155. I look back at pictures and I can't believe the difference.

"K" is for

K is for kitchen.
   I love to be in the kitchen cooking. When I was a child, I enjoyed helping my mom cook dinner. Now, creating good food is a something I love to do. Cooking for myself is ok, but I really like cooking for others. I've often thought about going to culinary school and becoming a chef. Who knows, so many other things are changing, Maybe I will do it.

"J" is for

J is for Jamiroquai. I always loved his song Virtual Insanity, especially the video.

"I" is for

(Monday)

I is for international.
   I love to travel. My job has sent me out of the country several times. I've been to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Italy, Japan, a brief stop in Germany, and all over the US. This was all while I was a mechanical technician. Now I am in engineering, I rarely get to travel. So I guess now I will have to rely on myself and vacations to travel. My passport expires this year, so I really need to get it renewed. I think everyone should travel outside of the US if possible. Seeing other cultures and how they live really helps us to understand each other and brings the world closer together.

Wintergreen

I went to the ski resort, Wintergreen today to ride the course for the Wintergreen Ascent. I went with my friends, Mary Alex and Jen Brown. The climb is between 6 and 7 miles and rises almost 3000 feet. Some sections are 15 to 16% gradient. It took around 45 to 50 minutes. I forgot to look at the time when we started. MA was about 10 minutes behind me. Unfortunately, Jen was not having a good day and turned around mid-climb. It was a great day to ride. It started out chilly and cloudy, then turned warm and sunny. Perfect day!

"H" is for

H is for History.
   I love the History channel, ths Science channel, and Discovery. These are pretty much the main channels I watch, with some Comedy channel and Food Network mixed in. I can sit a watch informational and learning shows all day.

"G" is for

G is for Grandma. My grandmother is 81. A month ago, she had a massive stroke and a heart attack and was on her kitchen floor all night until my mother found her the next day. She survived. She has almost no movement on the left side of her body, but her mind is intact. She is very strong willed and independent. She made a lot of progress but has a long way to go before she can think about going home again. The fact that she survived the ordeal with only the damage she had is amazing. She has lived alone since my grandfather passed away 13 years ago from a heart attack. She always maintains a garden, keeps her yard clean, and takes walks through the woods. If anyone can get back on her feet, it is her.

"F" is for

F is for Friday. Even though this was supposed to be yesterday's blog. I was out late on a mountain bike ride and didn't fell like blogging. I really like my job. A relaxed atmosphere, friendly people, and interesting work. I get to design machinery that get shipped to production plants all over the world. But I still alway look forward to Fridays. The weekend is my time to relax, do some cycling, and just recharge.

"E" is for Everyday

   Everyday I am trying to get closer to want I want, what I need. There are so many obstacles, perils, and pitfalls on this very long journey. And I'm just starting. But I will get there, or at least to a happy place.

D is for Desk

   I was always worried that I would hate a desk job. Sitting in one spot, staring at a computer screen. I was always a hands on type person. So when the opportunity came to move into a Mechanical Engineering position, I was a bit hesitant. Luckily, I found that I really enjoy it. The thought of getting dirty everyday is not at all appealling to me. That's what a mountain bike is for. I like being able to wear nicer clothes and stay clean. I guess it kinda goes along with my other more recent revalations or realizations. Dirty hands and nail polish do not get along. :)

My Life in Pictures #30

A picture of someone you miss:

My Grandfather was one of the nicest people I have ever met. Always friendly and caring. William Clifford was my Dad's father. When my parents divorced, I still went to his house fairly frequently. I always had a great time. Last year he passed away after being in and out of the hospital when he suffered a heart attack. I will always love him and never forget him.

My Life in Pictures #29

A picture that can always make you smile:

I decided to just scroll trhough my albums until I got to the first pic that really made me smile. This is it.

I set this up in my front yard for Halloween in 2008. The pic was taken before I put the pumpkin guts down the hood. Yes it a real VW Bug, minus a motor and transmission. It was easy to flip using a tow strap and my Jeep.

"C"ycling

This evening I will try to ride on the Rootbeer ride. I'm hoping my knee can handle it. The swelling has gone down a lot, but I still can't bend it all the way and it's still sore. I will definitely go easy. Luckily, this is supposed to be a very casual ride.

My Life in Pictures #28 (Make-up for Sunday)

A picture of something you are afraid of:

I am terrified of spiders. I've always been. I know they are important for keeping the insect population down, as long as they do it away from me.  eeeeeeeck!

"B"iking

I went to Candler's  mountain this morning for a group ride. Jen, a good friend from Roanoke, came in to ride. We were having a great time. About 6 of us had broken off in a faster group. As we got to the backside of the trail system, my chain popped of on a quick steep climb. This caused my knee to slam full force into the bike frame. Pain shot through my leg. This has happened before, but this time it hit very hard. My knee started to instaantly swell. I tried to ride further, but it got worse. Finally I decided that I had to walk out. My friend Mary Alex walked with me. After about 45 minutes of walking, we finally made it out. Now I am at home with and ice-pack on it. I can only move my knee about 20 degrees right now. Hopefully it will feel better soon.

My Life in Pictures #27

A picture of you and a family member:

This is my cousin Amber and me at the house I grew up in near Manassas, Va. It seems like forever ago.

My Life in Pictures #26

A picture of somthing that means a lot to you:

Family means a lot to me. This is some family from my Dad's side. Since my parents divorced when I was 4, I didn't get to grow up as close to them as I wanted. But I love them all. This picture was taken about 7 years ago. My grandfather passed away last year. I miss him a lot. He was always so good to me.

"A"pril Blog Challenge

This challenge has us using each letter of the alphabet to start the titile of the blog each day, except for Sundays. So 26 letters, 26 days. I am almost finished with the "My Life in Pictures" challenge. I will double up on blog entries until that is completed. The April challenge has no restrictions, as long as it starts with the appropriate letter.