grimly fiendish

My son unearthed a framed family "portrait" of the Perna Four circa 1988 and claimed it for his bedroom (to go with his Lava lamp & Optimus Prime body pillow, no doubt). What a little bitch I was! All pale & gloomy with hideous red lipstick (L'Oreal Drumbeat Red) and a sullen little scowl/half-smile...my poor parents. That phase began midway through seventh grade and lasted well into my dreadful senior year. I know the day will come when my own sulky little brat will be too cool for me, but until then, I revel in the moments before bedtime when he wants to hear "one more story about when you were a little kid, a funny one!" or, "Come on, mommmm, snuggle up and read another book..." paybacks are a bitch. I'm braced for them, don't you worry... if I had a scanner, I'd share that lovely little piece of history with you

not a fan:

• Avatar: meh...seriously, just my opinion. While you really have to twist my arm to get me to a movie theater, I found "Ponyo" far more enjoyable on the big screen. The hype was kinda lost on me...I could go on, but I'll just leave it at not a fan.
• Day after Christmas: post-holiday blues/blahs hit me hard...I'm good now, but, phew...that was rough. Again, not a fan.
• procrastination: my bike remains in the box it was shipped home in...suppose I should unpack/inspect/reassemble...definitely not a fan of my last-minute ways. New Years resolution material? nah, probably not.

not a fan of this particular post...what can I say? Christmas was awesome, but the rest of the weekend pretty much sucked (the highlights being a rainy ride that left me 20 lbs heavier in soaking clothes and "Footloose" on VH1)...

On a more positive note, I am very much a fan of:

• Dior color reviver lip balm...mmmm, divine.
• homemade peppermint bark
• New Years Eve parties...who's having one?

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve...my son is winding down, though will surely get his second wind upon putting cookies out for Santa... Although I am obliterated from non-stop holiday run-around, I will be too excited to sleep. Merry Christmas!

snowed in

First post-cross Saturday and the snow is falling... Actually, the snow is blasting sideways right now. Yes, it is blasting snow outside right now. Blustery, gusty winds, snow so dense I can barely see the house across the street. ahhhh... My son is at his dad's and I am enjoying the solitude wholeheartedly. Presents are wrapped and the oven is preheating for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I am still in my pajamas. The tree is lit, there is a bottle of wine uncorked from Thursday night's revelry...I think there is enough left for me to enjoy a glass after a little shoveling. Or now.

now what?

no racing this weekend. oh my goodness!

...09 end in Bend

Wednesday: arrived

Thursday: raced/crashed/ran/rode/finished...soaked in hottest bath ever, fought back tears about a non-championship race gone sour, teamed up with Amy to cook dinner for our teammates, slept by the fire, dreamed about the beach.

Friday: Watched Sam take 5th in an exciting race...damn, that kid is smooth. Froze mentally on my own pre-ride, stopped short at the top of the run-up, where I told Kelly, "Not feeling it. I don't think I can race this." We chatted & he said, "I know you'll make the right decision."

After another glorious last-row call-up, my frozen nerves & anxiety immediately thawed when we hit the course.

I rode clean, I stayed focused, and I had one of my best rides ever...I finished with a huge grin on my face, wobbly from the effort and relieved to wrap up my season on a truly high note.

Sadly, moments later, I learned Amy had been seriously injured in her race (we were on course together) and we were soon our way to the ER.

Conditions were treacherous and Amy has definitely had more than her share of bad luck...it didn't take long to find out her ankle was indeed broken (eerily similar to the break she suffered just over a year ago on the other ankle).

Please,

send her well-wishes, let her know you are thinking of her...she's going to need it.

That night, Sam's dad treated us to a great meal at one of the many local breweries, where we were also celebrating LVG's birthday and DeeDee & Sam's podiums earlier that day.

Wes had also arrived, rounding out the ten C3's representing at Nationals (Kris, Laura, DeeDee, Amy, Wes, Gunnar, Sam, Bill, Harlow, and myself). Miles and miles from home, it was amazing to see how well the team works to support one another...on the race course, in the pits, cheering from the sidelines, building/packing bikes, picking up prescriptions for (rrrrrr!) broken bones, waiting for medical attention, cooking dinner, doing laundry...all these tasks, menial, important, and everything in between...everybody pitches in, and then some...I am constantly impressed and truly grateful to be a part of it.

that brings me to Saturday:

5am found me sitting on my bag of gear at Redmond Airport, ready to board my 4th plane since Wednesday.

I missed my son greatly, was thinking of Christmas and weekends spent sleeping in and imagining my cross bike packed in the box, likely til 2010...

2009 has been an amazing season; tough, competitive, and entirely unpredictable.

20 races (0 DNFs)

1 series overall win (PA)

3rd in the MAC (B Women)

7 States raced in (PA, NJ, NY, DE, MD, VA, OR)

1 MAC team championship win (that I was proud to contribute to, however small my own contribution may have been)

Oh (!)

And,

I've overcome my fear of flying.

One Down...(Bend, Oregon)

I am not lamenting the fact that:

• random call-ups left me with a last-row start
• the temperature was maybe ten degrees this morning
• I crashed out of the top fifteen after a pretty stellar first lap
• My third crash rendered my front wheel immobile, leaving me to run half the course to the pits (as the field slid by me, one by one, by one...)
• I didn't have a pit bike, let alone wheels (though, a kindly stranger in the pit quickly had me back in action)
• the ice got the best of me
• My knee is jacked
• I probably had my worst result all season today (on paper)

I really don't care and it's really okay and I am really not grumpy.

wait, shouldn't I be a little grumpy??

Yesterday found me crossing the country on 3 different planes, only to arrive at my final destination in the dark, unaware of what the landscape around me even looked like. Greeted warmly at this amazing house by my teammates, I knew immediately it was worth the trip (even that third & final flight on a straight-up prop plane, nonetheless).

This morning, I woke up to a very cold & very snowy winter wonderland...in Oregon.

I raced my bike, crashed my bike, ran with my bike, and finished my last B race of 2009.

Tomorrow is Masters and I have a chance to do it again...hopefully without the crashing & running part.

Wish me luck & ring your cowbells for C3!

Cyclo-what?

Cyclocross. This is cross: