FAST GRRRLZ

FASTGRRRLZ PRESENTS:
LIKES AND GRIPES TUESDAYS

LIKES
1. Dr. Pushpa Giri. Has anyone else scheduled an appointment at McKillMe with this fine health care professional? If not, its definitely something put on your to-do list before graduation. No joke.

2. My New WILDCARD CYCLING Kit. (Image forthcoming...) I like full zip jerseys. And the bibs are very nice!
My first bibs!  I am a convert.  Who invented shorts?  Those who derive pleasure from the gut-suffocating feeling of an elastic waistband digging into the midsection certainly.. well...everyone has to get there kicks somehow.  My kicks are in bibs.  That said, I won't be selling my shorts on ebay due to low bids on used chamois.  

3. Dal. I've made it 3 weeks in a row now, each time mixing it up with different ingredients. What is not to love about stewed lentils, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, cumin, onions and tumeric? MMMMM!

4. Nick welding a hitch-mounted bike rack in the basement.   So crafty, these boys!

5. My Kreb's Cycle.  ..and everyone else's for that matter!  Making energy is so sexy.  Glycolysis and the Electron Transport Chain are on the same level.  Go ahead, strip my hydrogens!  Strip my electrons!  Give me some oxygen!  It's ATPorn and it's HOT.  

6. Sprouting.  Organic.  Local (from your own kitchen).  Healthy.  Easy.  Cheap.  Versatile.  Fresh.  Delicious.

7.  Shower  Smoothies.  I love recovering after a ride with a smoothie in the shower.  Not only is it a thrifty use of your time, but it is also more green because you can wash your glass in the same water that you are bathing in.  ha!

GRIPES
1. Leg warmer bulge: Ladies, you know what I'm talking about-- that sausage-like roll that forms on your lower thigh between the bottom of your shorts and the top of your legwarmers. Yeah, I know my quads are abnormally large. I don't need to be reminded of it every time I take a pedal stroke, Pearl Izumi.

I second that Miz Chan!  Bulge is the reason I did not wear leg warmers for the first half of last year's cross series and one motivation for increasing my reps in the weight room.... but, no matter what, I think Bulge is here to stay.  Bulge is part of the game.  Maybe we should personify him by giving him a nickname and squishing a Livestrong bracelet around his wrist.  

2. Grumpy Knees. I'm sick of taking it easy and turning back early. Get better already!

3. Waiting. This seems to be a recurring theme in my life lately. Waiting for grad school apps, power taps etc. and so forth. What can I say? I am a product of a culture that has come to expect instant gratification.

4. Obese Adkin's Diet Advocates: "I was on it for about a year and had no problems!"  Umm...okay.  Can we continue this conversation as you huff and puff after exiting the elevator, before you reach for your Diet Coke and inhaler?  (Sorry, this is cruel...but I just don't get it.)

6. The Cycling/Job Dilemma. Last summer I worked at a bar and was too tired to ride during the day a lot of times.  When I worked at the bike shop 10-6 I hung out with bicycles all day, but did I get to ride them?  No.  Delivering is perfect for the winter and early spring, but that kind of workout really isn't compatible for race season.  Races are on the weekend, but that's when people go to the shop to buy bikes.  Humph.  Someday, someone will pay me to ride my bike.  Until then...well, I am going to begin plotting my calendar tonight.  

7. Duh.  No one needs to mention winter.