The other day I sat down to transfer some pictures from my camera to my computer.  I had taken a few in the couple of days beforehand and thought I had a few others as well.

Turns out I hadn't transferred pictures since early May.  Whoops.

I don't know, it's like I was getting ready to bike from Duluth to White Bear Lake or something.  WEIRD.

So yeah, I don't really have much to talk about.  I tried for a while today to try to think of something interesting or funny to write about and well... I've got bubkis.

In other news, I like that word.

Anyhow... the whole reason I transferred pictures in the first place is because I wanted to play with some photos of gummi bears I took.

Yeah... you read that.

But you're kind of smiling now right?  I mean... they're gummi bears.  They sort of make you giggle right?

Picture Me Rollin'

In roughly four hours I'm leaving to go participate in the MS 150.  Which means today I will be riding a bus to a small town just outside of Duluth, MN, tomorrow I will wake up, get on a bike and ride 75 miles to Hinkley, MN.  Then on Sunday I will get up again, get on a bike, and ride another 75 miles to White Bear Lake.

Or that's the plan anyway.  I would say the odds are pretty good through the end of Saturday.  The whole getting up again on Sunday thing, I think that's where I'm going to run into problems.

Oh right, and the biking part.  That's... that's going to be a challenge.

Up until a few weeks ago I had not been on a bike since I was 15 years old.  I haven't really participated in regular physical activity since I was... 13.  I am not an athletic person.  I don't enjoy sweat.  I like reading.  And knitting.  And movies.  Things I can sit still for I'm just really, really good at.

So deciding I'm going to ride a bike for one hundred and fifty miles in a weekend is probably the dumbest thing I've ever done in my whole life.  And let me tell you, that is beating out some just really, really poor decisions.

I can honestly say that training for this has been the hardest thing I've ever done.  I can also say that in like 72 hours that will no longer be true.  I have wanted to quit.  Every single day.  Somewhere in the middle of the ride, every time I got on my bike something in my head has gone "you know this is ridiculous.  Just give up already."  The good news is I haven't listened to that voice.  I have not given up, I have kept going.  I have kept training and today I'm getting on a bus and I'm going to try my damnedest to do this thing.  I am proud of myself for that.

I'm not going to lie - I am scared.  I really have very little belief that I will actually finish.  And I am - illogically - worried that if I don't finish I will be letting people, and myself, down.  I know that that's not true.  And I am trying really hard to keep telling myself that, and to believe that.  I know that a lot of people are proud of me for just making it this far, and nothing will change that.  Still.  I am scared.

I WANT to finish and I'm going to work really, really hard to finish.  But if I can't I'm going to stop and be safe and be fine with that reality.

Now... the sarcastic brat in me wants to make fun of myself for a little bit and... well, I do sort of like the sarcastic brat in me so I'm going to go with that.  There's a solid chance that I will actually die trying to do this this weekend so if you want any of my stuff, now's probably a good time to call dibs.  Okay.  I got that out.  feels better now.

Here are some pictures I've taken while out biking the last couple weeks.  Enjoy.

Ir... Irises... Irie... screw it - Many an Iris growing on the St. Kate's campus

The Gateway Trail.  From this vantage point 35E is about 30 feet to the right.  You'd never know it.

Down by St. Anthony Falls

Smoke stacks that I thought looks pretty cool in Minneapolis

A random little lighthouse that I didn't know existed but thought was cool anyway

 One of my favorite Twin Cities landmarks

 Bridges all lined up.  (you can see the Hennepin Ave bridge, 3rd Ave bridge and if you look REALLY close, the Stone Arch bridge in the distance.)

That's my city.

No More Rhymes Now, I Mean It!

I don't have an art rant for you today.  Just so you know.  You can continue reading without fear.  I can't really think of anything to particularly talk about today, but I'd like to get back in the habit of blogging since... well I like it, and I like to do things I like.  Weird, I know.  So hmmm.... here are 13 totally random facts about me.

q) As you well know, I start my lists with point q.  I'm still not telling why.

2) months ago I started a playlist to try to figure out what I want the daddy/daughter dance to be at my wedding.  I've made a lot of cuts and it currently has 57 songs in it.  This is the most planning I've done for my wedding so far.

3) I have officially become a hockey fan.  I believe this proves that if I just see enough of a sport I will become a fan.

4) Based on number 3, I will continue to avoid lacrosse as much as possible.

5) I secretly like the broadcasting for the Wild better than the same for the Twins.  This is because there's less Robby Incmikoski, who bugs the crap out of me.

6) This morning the mere fact that I didn't have to wear two pairs of gloves to face going outside made me happy enough to keep me smiling until at least 10:30.

7) I actually really love living in the twin cities, even when it's so cold that -13 degrees no longer warrants a warning from the weather channel.

8) In June I will be biking 150 miles in two days from Duluth to the Twin Cities to raise money for MS research.  I don't own a bike and I think the only thing I've ever done for more than, like, three miles is drive.  I have no idea HOW I'm going to do this.  BUT I WILL.

9) My bologna has a first name (it's o-s-c-a-r) but I prefer his cousin salami.

10) I wake up with the oscar meyer bologna song inexplicably stuck in my head roughly twice a month. I can only pray this is just due to some weird coincidence and not a recurring dream about lunch meat.

11) I really wish I would have started studying art before I visited France.  I think I would have been less of a smart ass about the Venus de Milo.  Probably would have, if possible, increased my disdain for the Mona Lisa though.

12) If I ever went back to school for art history, I would strive to write a paper about how and why the theme song of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is completely wrong.

12a) Scratch that, if I ever go back to school for anything I would strive to write a paper about how and why the theme song of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is completely wrong.

13) Any time I can work "anybody want a peanut?" into conversation, I will.  Because I roll like that.

There you have it - 13 pretty random things about me.

And now, a picture of a tree.