Pros and cons

Today, I picked up my new phone. My old one was at least four years old, so I am a bit confused by its features. My post will be brief. 

While "driving" to the phone place, I was trying to figure out a way to stay positive about this winter. This is what I came up with: in the winter, with no leaves, you can see much further. That means a lot in a flat place.

Mostly where I ended up is this: if there is a hell, it will manifest itself as "Minnesota February 2014." Cold, snowy, icy, slippery unsafe roads for an eternity.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMS150

“Oh, figures!' answered Ned. 'You can make figures do whatever you want.” ― Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

For instance, I can make them the subject of a blog post. 

1,646

I love this. We sold tickets for a cash prize
drawing at this rate: 1 for $1; 7 for $5;
or an inseam measurement's worth for $15
(advantageous for the tall people with lengthy inseams!)
This was a suggestion from the guy who
cut my hair a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic!

Last Friday, we pulled off an amazing feat: we held our trivia night despite horrendous weather/roads and our trivia master guy being stuck in Austin, Minnesota. It was a fun, high energy night. We raised $1,646 for the MS Society in a matter of three hours. I think that is a job well done! 


2:  Two teams guessed that the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which is near Vancouver, separates Tierra del Fuego from mainland Argentina. If that were the case, it would probably be called the Juan de Fuca Ocean. (The answer was the Strait of Magellan.)

1:  First American in Space? Cookies the Space Chimp??!?!? Uhm.... No.


9:  Nine teams guessed that a dromophobiac is afraid of camels and/or humps. Three teams used their pre-paid free answers on this question. We only had twelve teams, which means that no one got this right: crossing the street.

3:  The three funniest answers in my mind: 

What sitcom character often advised: “Stifle yourself”? Horshack (instead of Archie Bunker)

What must be held by anyone wishing to speak during meetings in Lord of the Flies? One team guessed a B.F. Stick, another similarly guessed a pig head on a stick. I think these teams were seated next to each other, ahem.

What was the first name of Mr. Guinness who gave his name to the drink? The answer was Arthur. Good guesses included Seamus, Paddy, and even Jimmy. Best guess? Miguel. 

1849:  One team got the final question right. In what year did Minnesota become a territory? Congratulations, Team One!!!

100

We start the ride in 100 days. Meanwhile, we have many feet of snow on the ground, subzero temps, scary ice on every road, and are all in a deep depression. 

This weekend, I'm finally going to put together our training ride calendar and map out a few routes I've been dreaming up over the winter. (That trivia stuff has kept me quite occupied.) It will be interesting to see when we'll be able to start riding outdoors. The first year I did the MS ride and bought my road bike, I rode it on March 15. I think this will be impossible this year. We need to start riding on about April 1, though, to train for the June ride. Hmm.... 

31

I have already reached 31% of my fundraising goal of $4,000! This is great progress, and I hope to be able to keep it up! Thank you to those who have already donated. Please feel free to share my information with anyone who might be interested in supporting me as I raise money for the MS Society.

Meanwhile, check out this picture from the paper. Look in the red circle. That's me! It was pretty cool to be so close, and to be in the restored Union Depot to hear about transit proposals. Thanks, Joan, for helping me get this good seat!

Stay warm, stay sane.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMS150

A Very Special Announcement

I hope this works - I'm trying to put video in my blog for the first time. Stacy made this and it seemed to be an appropriate follow up to my last post. 

If this works, watch out world, you might get some interesting videos from our bike rides as we train for the MS 150. There typically are some entertaining moments.

Ole!

On Saturday, Dan and I took our fat bikes to a groomed trail north of St. Croix Falls. I enjoyed riding in the woods. I took this photo right before we got to the prettiest part, but I didn't want to get off my bike again to snap a photo. There was the cutest little fluffy deer near this spot. It was pretty fun to see their tracks in the snow - from a bike.

After we got home, I finished pulling together the questions for our trivia extravaganza Friday night. I think I got some good ones! Ol' Mexico confirmed our head count: 72 players and 6 volunteers. (Holy cow, you guys!) So, we've got the restaurant, some questions, the prizes, the tickets for the drawings, and some Bike MS coasters from the MS Society. Just a few supplies to buy, some answer sheets to put together, and I think we're set!

I'm not the best at math, but I think that this event will raise $1,000 for the MS Society, not including money we'll collect through the games/drawing during the night. (I've been told by a guy who does a lot of fundraising that I ought to call it a "drawing," not a "raffle." I think that's for state gambling law purposes. I'm not sure. He gave me some other ideas for Friday, too, as he rearranged my hair last week. I don't know that what he did counts as a haircut, despite the fact that he cut some pieces of my hair. Regardless, I got some good tips for our trivia night for the low cost of a haircut!)

After this trivia night is done, I can turn my attention to the team - mapping out a training schedule, some training rides, setting up a team meeting and a fix-a-flat class, and maybe (big maybe) secure us some donations for jerseys. We'll see.

I'll also loop back with my donors to fill them in on my antics.

Thanks for your support!


http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMS150 

Not your typical Valentine's Day love

After many hiccups and frustrations, I got the fat bike (bought 12/20) last night. It isn't the one I ordered, but it is close, and it is in my grubby paws.

My grubby paws (and the rest of me) took advantage of the sunny afternoon and my early arrival this a.m. at work to be home by 4, feed and walk the dog, and take the bike out for its inaugural ride.

I didn't go far, but it took me a long time. The tires are huge, fat, slow, and knobby. I barely needed to use my brakes when I wanted to stop. It just sort of stopped itself. The geometry is different than my road bike, obviously, and this was my first bike ride wearing my snow boots.

I went along Lake Hiawatha (at the end of our street) over to Lake Nokomis and rode around the lake. Lots of snow, lots of ice, and only two little slips of the tail end coming remotely close to knocking me down.

It wasn't far, but it was a workout nonetheless. It's nice to have this addition to my winter repertoire, since apparently our winters are not messing around.

The photo by the tree is from the south side of Nokomis looking at tiny downtown Mpls. The photo on on the bridge is from where Minnehaha Creek empties out of Lake Hiawatha, looking northwest over the lake toward downtown. Not from Minnesota? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about Hiawatha, a fictional Native American heroine. Nokomis was Hiawatha's grandmother.

Oh yeah, Valentine's Day. I don't really celebrate it, although I have been know to occasionally make valentines for my family. This year my adoration is directed to the fat bike. I'm quite fond of you!

Never fear, I also admire all of you who support me with my MS-related bike rides. Thank you!!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMS150

Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate

Perhaps I love this Smiths' lyric because it sounds like a line from an Edward Gorey book. You can picture the sketch, right?

I've had my eye on a hillside marginally desolate lately, as a spot for a potential training ride for my team this Spring. And, if this year is at all like last year, I definitely will have a flat, punctured tire.

The last few weeks I've seen this hill a couple of times just after a cold, pinkish-orange sunrise, and it is pretty breathtaking, especially because the Twin Cities are so flat and it is near the river. We all know how I am about the river.

I didn't take a photo because I was driving. Maybe I'll ride my bike up there early some morning and get a pic.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMS150

Juggling

So, I'm juggling a lot at the moment with work, all the assorted planning for the trivia event, doing some research into some things for our biking team (sponsors for jerseys? etc.), trying to get a little exercise (not doing so well with that), and trying to do what's needed on the home front.

I was thinking that it's easier to ride my bike 150 miles, probably, than it is to plan/host the trivia night. Why, then, am I using it to try to help me meet my biking fundraising goals?

I am not fully sure, honestly. I guess I think that it is a fun way for people to donate. People might donate more than they otherwise would if they get a night out thrown into the mix. Perhaps people might donate that wouldn't otherwise donate, so it gets the word out about the MS Society. (We have 72 people playing!) Plus, I like throwing parties. (72 people!) And I hate February and need something to keep my mind off the fact that it stinks.

My friend Marcy and I took a nice walk today on the creek, which is obviously frozen over for us to be walking on it. It was really cool to find spots under the bridges where there wasn't any snow and look through the ice and see cracks, trapped air bubbles, the bottom of the creek, etc. It was fun to see all the bike and ski tracks on the creek, too. That's the benefit of a super cold winter.

Ghost Bikes

"Marcus Nalls, 26, was riding on Franklin on Monday night when he was struck by a van and killed. Police said his bike had lights on the front and back and he was wearing a helmet."

While I'm glad that the police are doing something, thinking of what, if any, charges might apply here, I'm upset that it takes a death to get their attention. I'm still greatly peeved about when my friend was hit in August while following all traffic regulations. The officer only talked to the driver, not my friend or bystander witnesses, and then approached my friend to tell him that he - the one who was hit - wouldn't be ticketed or charged with a crime. Total baloney sausage to the millionth degree.

I'm sorry, Marcus Nalls, that you moved from a crappy biking town like Atlanta to Mpls and got hit by a driver who may have been drunk. I will keep an eye out for your ghost bike and pay my respects.

http://ghostbikes.org/locations

Slow Climb

Oh, lordy, I wish I was this dude (in the photo below) on his bike. Outside, on some mountain road.

Metaphorically, I am, I guess. I'm plugging along, getting our trivia stuff together. Climbing, climbing, getting ready to reach the top of the hill.

Support on this climb continues to pour in. Offers of help, donations for prizes. The businesses donating most recently: Angry Catfish, Salut, Cafe Latte. Also, Stacy's dad is a pilot with a small plane. We will have a raffle for a plane ride, too!

When this event is done, it will be time to plan group bike rides for the spring and work on some team stuff. Before I know it, it will be spring and time to get out on the bike consistently and get back in shape. I can't wait. I find February to be a difficult month for me each year. Perhaps it is because I know what good stuff is around the corner!

Aspiring to be a Seahawk

Well, that was sort of boring, unless you're from the Pacific Northwest. I had my own superbowl of chips, however, to keep me occupied.

Before today's game, and after going to yoga and briefly going on my bike trainer (yawn), I met with Stacy's brother Scott, our trivia guy. This will be a fun event in February, I think! I hope it ends up being worth it, for all the time I'm spending on it.

Yesterday, at the MS Conference and awards/recognition dinner, I learned that MS research has really progressed greatly over the past five years. This is my fifth year riding, so I feel really connected to that progress. I even learned a thing or two at the team captain meeting.

I was on the VIP list of fundraisers, but the real stars are all of the dedicated volunteers. I met the people who hand out food at the biking rest stops and stop traffic for safe crossings, including the woman who always wears full orange outfits (the MS Society's color) and the people dressed as Santa at rest stop #3 of the super hot July TRAM. These people give a ton of themselves. It is very inspiring to hear their stories and to know about their connection to MS.

The only thing that I'm not sure I fully support was the occasional standing ovation. Is it weird to give standing ovations when many of the attendees have mobility issues, limiting their ability to participate in a standing ovation?

Regardless, I'm hoping we can motivate our team to kick some MS butt, just like the solid showing by the Seahawks tonight.

Today I drove along where I have gone for some pretty adventurous (flats, deep water, wipe out) bike rides. I can't wait for spring and new adventures! (That's also when my blog posts are more fun to read!)

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMS150