Guess Who Came for Dinner

Alex brought Vivian over to play and have dinner with us today. "The Vivinator" and I had a grand time playing around until dinnertime, by which time she was worn out and moved over to my lap to snuggle, falling asleep on my lap before desert.

Why Cycling Doesn't Make Me Thin

Taking advantage of the early fine weather I met Melissa and Alan for a ride around Lake Overholser Saturday afternoon. Later in the season we'll meet early to take advantage of the morning temperatures, but this early we wanted to get out after a little warming sun, and preferably before the worst of the wind picked up. We didn't beat the wind, but we were comfortable enough in the temperatures. Once around the lake revealed our physical deficiencies, gave us enough wind the set the tone for this year's Oklahoma Cycling Experience, and we adjourned to Jim's Restaurant for pancakes. Given that a person has to walk the length of a football field to work off one M&M I don't think our little eight mile ride will have entitled us to a plate of pancakes but too bad! It's too good to miss. I lures us out even when the weather isn't very pretty and we are tempted to lay around at home.

And it Begins...

The weather is finally changing in Oklahoma, and I can think of no good excuse to stay indoors fooling around on the computer or watching movies - it's time to get the bike out for a spin. It looks like tomorrow will be (just) good enough for a ride; if I did not want to embarrass myself in front of everyone on earth I had to get out today to wrestle with the pump, find my gear, and get over the irrational fear of my shoes. I face fear of shoes at the start of every year until I clip in and out a few times to assure myself I have not forgotten how or lost the knack of it. One time Shana lost a screw out of her shoe and could not get clipped out of one pedal at all - a generally awful experience I don't want to emulate in any way.

It was so lovely today - low 70's and almost totally blue skies. The stiff wind from the south was not so pleasing, but such a constant feature here that it (almost) makes no sense to complain about it. Besides, when the wind is that strong the birds sit around on the banks of the lake where I can see them and get (bad) pictures even with the little camera. I was not as pleased with my riding as the weather. My bike is still new to me, and my balance is not as good as it needs to be. There is also the small issue of physical condition. A zippy little 6 mile ride was really as much as I wanted. There is also the minor issue of my mayonnaise colored legs. The glare is likely to injure anyone not wearing proper eye protection.

Roller Derby OKC

Last night I had the great pleasure of seeing Oklahoma's only all female banked track roller derby team, the Red Dirt Rebellion. Susi had the inspired idea of getting a group together to see a game. We started out with a pizza dinner, then downtown to the Cox Center for an evening of exciting athletics. Many years ago I enjoyed many a bout on TV, and had vivid memories of the late Joanie Weston's aggressive style. Our team is a new one with little experience, but hard working and great fun to watch. Last night they were playing the L A Dolls, a really good team who appeared in the movie Whip It. Our girls got their heads handed to them, but kept on trying as we cheered them on. The evening had the indie flavor associated these days with roller derby, from the intensive use of duct tape on the track to indie craft booths outside the arena. The half time entertainment was charmingly (and hilariously) homemade, and the crowd was supportive - staying to the very end of a very lopsided game.

When I worked downtown the Cox Center was called the Myriad, and was open during the day for walkers and I spent many a lunch hour there. It was the venue for the circus and concerts. These days the Ford Center is the big venue and I was curious about how the Cox center was being used. I was happy to see that many events were going on there last night, from Roller Derby to what I thought of as possibly the anti-roller derby: a Women in Ministry conference. There was also a formal ball, and a conference of independent beauty consultants. Truly something for everyone!

I'm still working on my Olympic Socks although there is no hope of completing even one sock before the closing ceremonies. I won't even make it to the heel by tonight. I will finish them, and I am so pleased at how they are coming out. It's an ambitious project and by the time I finish I should be pretty comfortable with cables and cable charts. It may be the last knitting project I ever finish because they will take me the rest of my life to do.

I Don't Make These Things Up

Apparently the Utah State Senate is considering a plan to alter the Martin Luther King Day holiday to become Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr./John M. Browning Day so that Dr. King can share his day with the famous gun manufacturer, a man much more appealing to the tender sensibilities of Utah natives. Again I must ask: why are our elected representatives (of any state) wasting their time on this sort of bizarre nonsense? In a way it's comforting to know that there are states who have elected representatives as crazy as ours in Oklahoma.

The Compulsories are Completed

If you define compulsories as winding the yarn, casting on twice, and tinking back one row. Yes, there are still a couple of little boo boos, but I must remind you that anyone who points out my knitting errors will never receive another handmade gift from me! It's coming along, albeit slowly. I was able to work on it at Stitch & Bitch last night, which I considered to be a major improvement in my cabling skills. I have pretty much stopped staring helplessly at every cable on the chart and checking the instructions three times before starting on the cable sections. I still cannot say with confidence that I will have a completed pair before the end of the Olympics, but there is hope. Whatever the result socks will be very pretty. The Cherry Tree Hill yarn is merry nice to work with and is giving me really good stitch definition despite the variegation.

Let the (Knitting) Games Begin

This time I will be participating in the Knitting Olympics. My choice of challenges is Bex, a Cookie A sock pattern. It's intensely patterned and a big step up from my beloved Monkey Socks. I'm off to a late start because I had to finish up another project before I started, had not decided on a pattern and I still have to get the yarn into a ball. Actually I had decided on a pattern - I was going to make myself another pair of Monkeys because my beautiful Koigu Monkeys are wearing out in the heel. But no, the rules specify a challenge, so Let The Games Begin (et Les Bon Temps Roulez)!