Posted by barb on May 24, 2010 in
Around DC,
Biking,
Pictures [Cross-posted on Jiggles]
This was the first time I’ve done an organized ride. We tried to do the WABA ride several years ago, but it was cancelled by damage from Hurricane Isabel. Each year since then we have had some conflict with the ride. I was excited that this year’s ride worked out for us…excited and a little nervous. I’m not exactly the fastest rider on the planet, so one of my biggest fears was that we’d get “swept up” before finishing the ride. I knew I could do the 19 miles – that’s actually a couple miles short of what our long ride should be this weekend for our training schedule…I’m just not as fast as many other riders.
I wasn’t certain about the weather, since I’d woken up a couple times in the night to hear downpours and thunder. We got up at 5:30 and checked the weather reports – one said 10% chance of rain until about 11AM when it would go up to 40-50%; another site said 90% chance for rain going up to 100% at 11AM. Hmmmm….they could not have been more different. We decided to at least head downtown, and if it was raining hard, we could always bail.
We had to be on the first Metro train out of the station in the morning so we could check in at registration. I’d been hoping to be one of the first riders out, but the 7AM train didn’t get us into DC until about 7:40. We checked in at the Registration at Freedom Plaza downtown and got going on the ride a bit before 8AM.
The route brought us right by the White House.
Then we went into Georgetown along the Whitehurst Freeway. It’s a little sad that this freeway is usually occupied by cars with drivers who probably don’t enjoy the view, because it was quite lovely. From there we crossed the Key Bridge and hopped onto the GW parkway. Part of the Parkway was closed off for the ride. It started drizzling a bit on this stretch of the ride, but it wasn’t bad. The route was a bit of a bear, though, because it was uphill, it seemed, for about 1.5 miles. Coming back down? Fun!
The next stop was a trip around the Iwo Jima memorial.
Then it was on to the Air Force Memorial. It was a huge uphill trip from the main road up, but worth it for the view. It was also my first time at this memorial.
From there it was just a few miles to the finish in Crystal City. And I didn’t get “swept up”! We arrived around 10:30AM, so 2.5 hours for 19 miles, photos, and a pit stop. Mostly I had fun – the only questionable part was that uphill on the GW Parkway, but hey, it’s in the bank, right?
You can see the rest of my pics from the ride here: Bike DC
Tags: bike
Posted by barb on Feb 23, 2010 in
Cute Pets,
Pictures,
Random Thoughts I keep thinking I should blog more, but when I sit down to do it, I find I don’t have much to say. This year has been so stressful, and I find it hard to be inspired by much. The house has this pall of sadness over it, and every day at home is a slog. I’m watching Ares to see what side-effects of chemo he may develop, constantly watching what he eats and checking the litter box (yes, isn’t that lovely). Also constantly trying to see that Duncan has food any time he shows interest, and that it’s food he likes. One has few external signs that he’s sick, but I know the cancer is eating away at him. The other has lost nearly half his body weight and feels so fragile to the touch. It’s hard enough to face losing one, but facing losing two just seems inconceivable.
Mostly I try to celebrate them, taking pictures and snuggling copiously. Then, of course, I have to make sure that Artemis, our non-sick cat, gets enough attention, too. Often she feels left out because I’m not facing losing her sooner rather than later. So it feels like every day at home is just all about the cats. And all about the prospect of loss.
On the one hand, I know that it’s “just my cats”, not like it’s a human that’s sick. On the other hand, Ares has been part of my life since 1996, and Ducan since 2000. It’s hard to pretend it doesn’t matter because they’re “just a pet”, because I’ve never seen pets as “just pets” – they’re family members.
So for now, I’m just hanging on. Hoping for the best, and often cursing that hope. Follow her blog for any pets reviews.
Tags: pets, suckitude
Posted by barb on Dec 25, 2008 in
Pictures,
Travels 
We’ve had a quiet Christmas. Yesterday it snowed again – third snow storm this week, I think. We’ve decided to just hunker down and enjoy being in the house. Not much to report from here – we opened presents last night, slept in this morning, and are just kicking around the house. We’ve watched the Christmas specials that I brought with me (White Christmas, A Christmas Carol (the Patrick Stewart/TNT version), and A Christmas Story). Andrew’s cousin came for a little while yesterday, and his Auntie and another cousin came for tea today. We may go into “the village” tomorrow to check out a new antique store.
We’ve been keeping an eye on the weather to see when I should drive home. It looks like I’m still okay to head home on Saturday — the forecast is for rain and 50 degrees for a high in upstate New York. Hopefully I’ll be home Saturday night.
Tags: build-a-bear, christmas, family, trip report
Posted by barb on Dec 22, 2008 in
Pictures,
Travels After a bit of…um…schimpfing…we drove up to Montreal yesterday. Once we got onto the main highway, the roads were fairly clear. The wind was blowing, so snow swirled on the roadways, but mostly visibility was good. Montreal proper was actually worse than the highways – sloppy and slushy and slippery. But, with only one wrong turn (which actually made the directions easier), we made it to the hotel, checked in and parked in the underground garage.
On tap for the day? Shopping!
We bundled up (it was *cold*), grabbed lunch, then took the metro to Old Montreal. Jo came with us, so she could pick out a new outfit and a couple things for her friends back home. We also took in Notre Dame Cathedral in the snow — very pretty.
After a bit more shopping, finally making into a little mall (for warmth!), we settled down for hot cocoa. I also got new mittens and a hat (tuque or tuke), which helped me keep warmer.
Next stop? A Hello Kitty shop!!!! I picked up a few fun things, and we headed back to the hotel for a while. We needed to rest from the trudging around in the slush and the cold.
Finally we walked down Saint Catherine’s Street, stopping at Addition Elle – an awesome “plus sized” shop (unlike Lane Bryant, their most common fabric is *cotton*, not polyester or some crappy, shiny, wrinkle-attractor). I ended up finding a cute new winter coat, so I spent way more than I should have. Oh well – it’s so much better than the one I had.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to press our noses against the Ogilvy’s window – dressed up for the holidays.
The morning was cold. Cold, cold. Frost-bite cold. Cold, cold, cold. (Woke up to -8 degrees F). We bundled up and went found a crepe place on St. Cate’s. Very cold breakfast — the crepes were warm, but we sat by the window, which was very, very, very cold.
Then we walked to the Canadian Centre for Architecture. We spent some time there – the special exhibit was about ways that people change and interact with their surroundings, featuring exhibits on guerrilla art and gardening, among other things. We also walked through the restored Victorian house which had been turned into a reading and meeting area (so no Victorian furniture or decor). Finally looked at the exhibit on sky lights. It didn’t take us very long — I’m glad we went once, but we don’t feel the need to go again.
Finally we met up with Andrew’s friend and his wife for lunch. We had been thinking about going to the Botanical Garden, but I didn’t feel like walking much more (I’d forgotten how tiring it is to walk in the slush and ice), and I really didn’t want to drive home in the dark. So, we headed back to the “country” and Andrew’s parents’ house.
Tags: build-a-bear, museums, trip report
A week ago yesterday I graduated! It was a moment I think many of us thought might never come, especially during the past 6 months, but I’m happy to say I did it.
I decided to go through ceremonies for several reasons — the first was that I promised my dad that I would. When I quit grad school in 2001 with “just” my master’s degree, I decided not to go through ceremonies, and my dad was fairly disappointed. I didn’t want to celebrate my master’s, though, because I felt like it was a defeat, rather than a triumph. I was quitting short of my goal.
More importantly, though, I feel like I needed the ceremony as a kind of closure. The defense was a bit of a let-down because I didn’t have the sense of accomplishment when I finished. The graduation ceremony gave me at least some of the sense of closure, the sense of accomplishment. I even walked away with a real diploma!
Here are a couple of pictures of my hooding ceremony, from Peter Teuben, a member of the astronomy department
Felicia graduated, too, and here she is in her regalia (I still need to make her hood, though):
I’ll post a report from the grad party that followed last Saturday later; hopefully tomorrow.
Tags: build-a-bear, grad life
Posted by barb on May 13, 2008 in
Crafty Me,
Pictures Felicia’s cap for graduation is ready:
Now, if I could just get the gown the right color, I’d feel pretty good.
Tags: build-a-bear
Posted by barb on May 13, 2008 in
Pictures,
Travels I know things have been quiet around here lately. I was hoping that after I defended that I would magically find a new fount of energy which would result in a flurry of activity both in my life and in my blog. Truth is, I’m tired. I’ve been tired for months, and I have a feeling that it’s going to take an equal amount of time to recover.
We did take a long weekend in Myrtle beach a couple weeks ago, and I have to say that it did wonders for my morale. For the first time in a long time, I can say that I was truly happy. I went into sensory overload in the Build a Dino Store there, but a good kind of sensory overload. We played loads of mini-golf, and also played in the ocean.
(All of my Myrtle Beach trips are here.)
We haven’t gotten on our bikes this year yet, and that’s probably going to wait until mid-June, after I get back from a meeting in St. Louis. I haven’t gotten into my scrapbooking yet, though hopefully that will pick up this weekend. I have had loads of ideas for blog posts (pink? in a John Deere store??), but lose interest by the time I get to a computer. I promise that I’m coming back, and I’m getting less tired and more happy every day, but I have a feeling that its going to be a while before “My Silly Life” is terribly active again.
I’m trying, though.
Tags: build-a-bear, trip report
Posted by barb on Dec 24, 2007 in
Pictures,
Random Thoughts Andrew and I went out to the National Christmas tree in front of the White House yesterday with Stef and Doug. (After seeing the magnificently funny “One Man Star Wars Trilogy” at the Wooly Mammoth Theatre (minus Andrew for that – he would not have appreciated it at all).)
While at the Christmas tree, I caught this picture of the Moon and Mars near the tree:
Hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday – and may Santa bring everything you’re wishing for.
Tags: christmas
Posted by barb on Dec 22, 2007 in
Crafty Me,
Pictures I decided to sign up for the Holiday Ornament Swap hosted by freshly blended and cake & pie this year. I clearly didn’t have the time to hand-make 8-10 ornaments this year, what with writing my PhD thesis, but that didn’t stop me. I started just before Thanksgiving and got them out in early December.
I’m so glad I signed up! Every couple of days I go out to my mailbox and find a package with another really cute, hand-crafted ornament from the women in my group. Here’s what I’ve received so far (I think I’m missing one):
Ornament from Katy:
From Jen:
More below the fold…
Read more…
Tags: christmas
Posted by barb on Dec 21, 2007 in
Around DC,
Pictures 
We went to the National Zoo last night to check out the ZooLights event.
I primarily wanted to go to see the lights, but there were also a bunch of family-oriented activities going on all evening. Sadly, the marshmallow roasting was cancelled for the evening (not sure why), but they had cookie decorating and several of the buildings were open (small mammals, big apes and reptile discovery).
It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it was exactly what was advertised, so I wasn’t disappointed. There were bunches of lights displays, all in the shapes of different zoo animals. A few of the displays “moved”, like a soaring eagle landing on a nest and a leaping frog.
Naturally there was also a gift shop open – I found a very cute pair of giraffe slippers for myself (I didn’t have any shopping left to do for anyone else, so naturally I *had* to get something for me).
I’m not sure we’d go every year, but it certainly was fun the one time. Maybe in a couple years we’ll try again…assuming we still live in the area.
All of my pictures from the event are in this Flickr set.
Tags: zoo
