You’ve probably heard we elected greatness to the White House again. Just the notion that we have a President Elect who can speak in complete sentences and isn’t such a tool makes me positively giddy. Add the fact that he’s an incredibly powerful man, inspiring hundreds of thousands of people who have never voted to get off their apathetic asses and participate is amazing. He’s not *just* a black president, he’s the United States’ president and a world leader.
I’m so grateful that the process worked this time. I can stop singing this infernal song as a message to the Bush Administration. And I no longer have to keep looking for a Canadian husband just in case. The phone calls to Ontario were getting out of hand.
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Zilly Rosen of ZILLYCAKES in Buffalo, NY, builds a likeness of President Elect Barack Obama using 1240 cupcakes.
People are celebrating the sweetness of victory in all kinds of ways. Oh yes! Blue is no longer relegated to the sad and lonely status of infertility or depression. NO! Blue is the new pink! The color of elation. The color of hope. The color of capability. Blue is the color of sweetness.
And the hits just keep coming: Just a few years ago George Bush’s administration actually reclassified frozen french fries as a bonafide “serving of vegetables”. This was before the boneheaded declaration to rename them “freedom fries”. I still find that fact an apt emblem of the level of retardation this administration has wrought upon our culture, our society, our collective. I love fries, don’t get me wrong, though I prefer Belgian to French. And now (drum roll, please) in another fitting food metaphor, this just in: Bacon Crushes Fries in Colorado.
Sweet. To celebrate I’m making a special pre-ride breakfast this Saturday: Belgian waffles, French fries and BLUE bacon! Who’s hungry?
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BACK IN CHURCH OF BIKE: The definitive text of classical yoga instruction known as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a collection of terse aphorisms that describe what yoga (as the repatterning of habitual thinking to experience consciousness itself, beyond habitual, discursive thought), how it’s practiced (all the time, self-inquiry, discipline, focus, meditation, etc) and what to expect (SUPERPOWERS! or at the very least a sense of unity/oneness/integration and a calm, clear head).
It’s dry reading, but useful. Studying it is a practice in itself. And so I’ve been slowly working on my own Yoga Sutras… They are called the Bike Sutras of Velo Devi. It’s a fun little project. What I like about working on it is this: Before Patanjali came along yoga was a practice that was limited to priests, young boys who would become Brahman priests, and royalty. Women and the Indian equivalent of Joe-the-Plumber weren’t permitted until this cultural shift happened, for which Patanjali was largely responsible, if not its seminal instigator.
Now, I’m not saying I’m the next great cultural instigator. But women’s cycling is something that needs constant support. Women need constant support. It’s not that we’re not capable creatures. We are. Quite. But we still bear the lion’s share of family responsibility and most of us hold jobs that require as much time and energy as our male partners and counterparts, and still for only 80 cents on the dollar. I have done a bit of instigating here and there–inspiring some, annoying others–over the past few years trying to get women’s racing a little more robust. Numbers are up. I can’t take credit, but I feel lucky I have the luxury of time to support the things that I feel passionate about. And yeah, I do this stuff because it’s fun and I’m a thrill seeking pleasure junkie. But I also do it because there is nothing more rewarding to me than to see people challenge their perceived limitations–usually in the mind, as Patanjali taught–and grow.
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www.fruitamountainbike.com
So, next year: Mountain biking advocacy. Mountain biking is so much more fun with friends. It’s hard. Harder than road racing in many ways, but also way more enjoyable. Church of Bike is, well… It’s lovely. It’s like…. Somatic prayer. I mean, whatever helps you feel happy to be alive, right? So yeah, next year mountain bike focus. I figure if an old girl like me can start riding again, pretty much anyone can. I’ve been planning for the Fat Tire Festival in Fruita in April, and the 18 Hour race that follows. Sadly, It’s right around the time of 24 Spokane. I’ll have to pick my poison, I guess. Spokane is supposed to be “my” kind of course. But Fruita, well… You know how I feel about Fruita.
Honestly, I just love riding my mountain bike more than just about anything! And Janky insists that the mountain bike geometry and position are what works best for her. And when Janky talks, Uma listens.
Lately Janky’s been talking about a hardtail 29er mountain bike setup as a singlespeed cross machine.
I think I better start passing the collection plate. Church of Bike requires a Titus tithing.
Titus Fireline 29er Titanium
Can you say “swap-out dropout”?
Amen, dude… Amen.
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