Quote from: Iztaccihuatl on Yesterday at 07:38:50 PMDon't sweat the hills (well, literally, please sweat them!), it is one stroke (my term, not sure how cyclists refer to one push down on the pedal) at a time! To give you an analogy, in high altitude mountaineering you get slower the higher you climb. I typically notice that above 4,000m / 13,300ft I start moving like my grandma, like taking a 2 seconds pause between each step. However, after several hours I would still reach the summit, slow and steady wins the day. Same for your hills. And downhill, go at what speed feels comfortable and safe for you. I am sure you'll do fine!

Hugs,

Heidemarie

Thank you.

I agree about hills- at some point its a matter of your head is stronger than your legs. "Shut up legs!" right? I've told my cycling mentor I am finishing, even if I walk a bike on a hill. Her response was "you will finish and you wouldn't be the only person walking a bike up a hill." She's done the event. With luck my youngest will get to see me finish as well as meet a close friend and her SO.

Me being me department? I carry my id/credit card/health care id in a little plastic purse that reads "Bitches Get Stuff Done" with a girl in a defiant pose. It is alwauys in my back center pouch with cell phone and keys. I reach back and give her a tap when I need motivation. shhhh. our secret.

Seriously-- the race has been a real positive for me. I am in the best shape of my life, bar nothing. Instead of a long, cold winter I had a goal, motivation to be active. I've made friends. I've wound up in a queer cycling group I really enjoy. Itsa kind of grand adventure. I figured out a while ago the race is a good metaphor for my own transition. I have under control what I can control... the rest is getting it done.


Off to clean my apartment before the group ride late. Getting my yoga on tomorrow, followed by a "hard 25" ish on the bike and a pizza with Mom. Mom likes a good pizza.

Happy Weekend To All,

~Jenn

I went shopping in my heeled booties yesterday.  I'm quite good at getting around in heels, and can walk faster than average while wearing them! That allows me to park away from the crowded part of the parking lot and walk into the store.  I carried my cell phone in a little black crossbody bag. 

My new 30ft tree is a Tatarian Maple.  It has a short thick trunk that leads to many smaller branches to form a dense rounded crown.  It produces a lot of seeds, but as I said earlier, not much I can do about that now, unless I were to hire someone to take it down.  It is in a good place where it doesn't shade my rose beds and provides some shade to my neighbor.  I have two large Sugar Maples in my yard, as well as a third that is in the neighbors but has branches over mine.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on Yesterday at 05:45:05 PMI hope all of your riding is good.

Chrissy

Thanks!

Matching tops and bottoms of the same fabric is fine.
In fact, that is the standard for fine men's suits.  The fabric of the tops and bottoms match.
I'm so small I never could do that as a guy.  Always had a mismatch. 

But, a mismatch usually doesn't work.
There are exceptions to every rule but the mind doesn't like to see small differences.

Which is why wall paper comes with lot codes so you can make sure every roll comes from the same press run.  A small color shift is bad.

Sometimes I see on Revolve that certain items are not available as a set, though you can buy matching tops and bottoms of the same fabric.
They don't want the hassle of customers arguing about exact color matching.

You know what I am going to add...

Minor Miner 

Cool!

Quote from: Oldandcreaky on Today at 07:04:15 AMYesterday, in a nearby town, I saw a transwoman exiting a grocery store. She wore a long, flowered skirt and a patterned  shirt and vest. Color and pattern atop color and pattern atop color and pattern, a rudimentary fashion mistake, which invite a second look all by itself...and that second look took me to a face not sufficiently softened by estrogen, which is why I clocked her. I expect you wouldn't make that mistake, but do use your wife as a fashion consultant, which is something nearly all women do.

That seems like an odd way to wear clothes.  Each may have looked fine but together, not so. 

It is good to ask for advice.

I learned mostly by looking at the photography models wearing outfits, as shown in catalogs and at Web sites.  The pictures may have shown a blouse or skirt or pants that was on sale but you saw the entire outfit.

I figured that no retailer would post photographs of bad matching outfits, that would be a waste of money and would not increase sales.  So, I tried to match like style and colors, not exactly the same pictured outfit except sometimes I did do that.

Chrissy

What a light show last night!  The aurora on May 10th is said to be the best since 1938.  It certainly was spectacular here in Nova Scotia, where we seldom get good auroras.

This was taken by my automated all-sky camera, which takes pictures every minute, all night.  The concentric circles are centred on the zenith.  As you can see, the aurora covered the whole sky, well down to the southern sky.

I am going to the golf club today. I will wear a dark pink floral golf polo and a nice skort and sneakers that kinda look like golf shoes, with some pink socks. I am not going to play golf today, just go to lunch with a friend and her friend, who I do not know well but she is nice too.  But at least I will look like I might be playing golf. I am not any good at golf other than putting and driving the golf cart.

Before this I have a few hours of work around the house to do, maybe mow before leaving, and to shower.

It should be a nice first part of the day all in all.

Chrissy

I always ask my wife if I look ok before heading out. Sometimes she will offer advise. She has had a lifetime learning these things, would be silly not to take advantage of that.