#172 - mr. schwinn

I can't say this enough! I *heart* bicycles. I'm excited to possibly start two new projects. One of which is buying an old 1960's style Schwinn Typhoon and fix it up: power-washed, new paint, original decals put on, new fenders. The other is seeing if my Uncle will let me fix up my Grandpa's old bicycle that he's held on to. I'm so excited!! 4 bicycles will fill up my small loft rather quickly, but it's radically worth it.

#171 - when I grow up...

Why not skip jumprope around the block?
Why not watch the cartoon robin hood and still have a crush on the fox?
Why not puddle jump in the albertson's parking lot in the middle of the day?
Why not dip my graham crackers in a glass of milk?
Why not stir my ice cream 'till it's all melty?

Why not act like I'm six years old?

#170 - pushing up daisies

With the intent not to freak you out...

My house in New York boarded a very large cemetery (pictured). My friends and I used to play hide-and-go-seek in it and most every time, ended up scaring one another. It also had a gorgeous jogging path that ran around and through it that I was too young to appreciate. My mother has always been entranced by cemeteries and I too have thought them interesting, in an eerie romantic sort of way. My parents (and grandma) have done the disturbing task of selecting their plots and stones, etc. Something I don't want or like to think about. However, I remember my mother saying once, that she wanted to live her life so that the phrase she wanted on her tombstone would be true, "She was kind to everyone".
It got me thinking about what I would like on my gravestone (also came to mind after a recent visit to a father's grave with one of my close friends). Currently I've got my thumb on, "She turned her can'ts into cans and her dreams into plans".

Thoughts? Creepy? What would you have?

#169 - oh the places I'll go

I want to work here.

I want to bike and jog here.

I want to hang out here.

I want to live here.

On this street.

And shop here.

But for now, I'll be happy here and just plan a visit here soon.

#168 - carousel of confusion

Boise Bike Week kicked off last Sunday with a vintage bike swap. Seeing all those bicycles made me want to buy a cruiser and maybe another street bike. If only I had the space... my loft's capacity is basically maxed out. There was a Mardi Gras Twilight Race last night that weaved through downtown and circled the belt loop (people mistakingly think it's called the "green belt" ba!). To have my bicycle in top shape for the race, I decided to ride it over to the bike shop where I purchased it for a tune up. I remembered it being about 5 minutes away by car, and thus, very feasible to cycle there. I headed out on one of the more busy roads (State Street) which luckily had a bike path. I was well equipped with my ipod and water bottle so time passed relatively quickly. About 40 minutes later, biking pretty hard, the "I remember this being a lot closer" thought popped into mind. I kept trekking on, thinking it would surely be at the next group of businesses, to no avail. I finally texted google only to discover, it was on Fairview. Another busy road very far away from my own current path. I turned around and headed back, this time faster to make up lost time before it closed. I biked up a ridiculously huge hill and finally, an hour and a half after leaving my house, arrived at the bicycle shop that's a 5 minute drive from my loft. Two hours later, I was back home and too exhausted to do the Twilight Race... My 'oops' bike ride was enough for me.

(from D - B on accident, from B - C where I wanted to be, from C - D which would have been easier to go in the first place...)

#167 - breast cancer

Most of last week was dedicated to preparing for the Susan G Komen "Race For A Cure" event. The company I work for said they would sponsor any employee (and guests) that would like to participate and run under their team. With the $20 donation enrollment fee covered, our team quickly grew to over 2,000 members. We wanted to stand out from the pink crowd of athletes so we ordered lime green breast cancer shirts. I signed my mother, friend, her sister and myself up for the 5K. Preparation for the race (assembling packets for runners) took about 3+ 14 hour days of work, which are, for the most part, a blur.

My mother flew out for the event, and dressed to stand out, we headed out on our bikes early Saturday morning. We both jogged the entire time and then sprinted the last leg. I'm not a runner, so there were definitely a few times when I would have been glad to walk, but with my co-workers all around me and my boss jogging right behind me, that wasn't an option. Who would listen to a personal trainer at the corporate gym who couldn't even run a 5K! I mean... come on. My favorite part was definitely the sprint at the end. There's no feeling. No thought. No pain. It's purely a mental game. You just go. I felt untouchable and full of energy and ran the fastest I possibly could (while weaving in and out of participants).

Not too long after the race, mom and I downed the carbs and headed over to a spa for a full body massage. Definitely the perfect way to end a race. Now she's off to Ogden to run a half marathon while I am just getting back from laying in the warm grass, taking a nap under the glorious sunshine. Go mama go!

#166 - the rainy wait

Since the birth of my mac, I've been checking all my gmail accounts through the mac mail program; making it so I don't have to actually log-in to gmail.com. A few months ago, though, I discovered a feature on google that allows you to change the theme of your main page. I've changed the theme a few times so far, but have soundly rested on one I really like. It consists of a group of people (and animals) waiting at a bus stop. This adorable little gathering draws me to log-in to gmail regularly now. Every day it has been the same. Always the same. People still waiting. Sun still shinning. Animals still accompanying. Grass still green. Sky still blue. I've grown acustom to it.

Footnote: as I was driving back to work from my lunch break, a freak-slushy-hail-snow storm hit for about 2 minutes. It's been gloomy, rainy, windy, and overcast all day, and then finally the climax hit.

Later that day, I logged into gmail to access a document for work, previously saved there. I looked at my gmail and what did I see?? I big gloomy rain storm looking at me! I was blown away... I didn't know the picture could change?! We're all in this together... see you soon, little bus stop neighbor friends.

#165 - dream

As much of the world as possible! Cover the country! See every corner! Coast to coast! Obscure cities! Picturesque fields! Dance in the ocean!

My future map: (times 7 - for each continent)

see you there.

#164 - archaic trinket

My elementary school sported the Apple Computers; complete with epic games during computer lab time like Prince of Persia, Oregon Trail, Crystal Quest but my all time favorite was the "open Paintbrush tool and draw a picture" game. I rocked that game. Our school supplies list always included a pack of 25 floppy disks which were then promoted to hard disks. 80% of the time, one would be shoved in my backpack, containing multiple papers and projects for school. The 'shoving process would cause the silver metal piece to be bend, dented, or completely ripped off- destroying my academic career.

"It’s probably been a dog’s age since you even thought about floppy disks — let alone had a drive on your computer that could support one — but floppies are actually still popular in India and Japan. Sony is the last manufacturer of 3.5-inch floppy disks, and while the company sold more than 12 million of them in 2009, Sony has just announced it will stop making floppies as of March 2011."

As obnoxious as they were, they will be missed. Now my problem is losing the technology of the future. They make everything so dang tiny!

#163 - boise pineapple

"So how long have you lived in Boise?"
"Oh not too long; I just moved here in August."
"Wow, really? Where did you move from?"
"Washington!"
"So what brought you here?"
"... ... ... ... ... "

I have had this conversation countless times since I moved to Boise, ID - and I never have a good, consistent answer.

...seemed like a cool place - close to home/school - came here for work - locked into a contract - felt right - was headed home and ran out of gas in boise, decided to stay...

I've been trying to think of a really compelling response and so far, have come up wanting. To be honest, there was a slightly ridiculous reason I decided to come here, and a few dollops of whipped cream that sealed the deal:

dollop one: The Egyptian Theater
dollop two: The Record Exchange
dollop three: The Co-Op

Each day I find a new topping that keeps me happy and keeps me going and today was no exception. Boise Bicycle Week was just announced and I am SO excited! I plan on doing as many events as I can fit in on my new ride. There is a Vintage Bike Swap that I would love to watch (will not be trading anything), the Monday Kickoff, a Twilight Ride on Mardi Gras, Bike Maintenance stations, Street Smart Cycling, Women's Road Ride, the Recumbent Rally, Pedal Power Picnic to the Park, May in Motion Event, Bicycle Block Party, and the Pedal Power Parade.

Ride on.

#162 - banksy

A new Banksy was just found, yesterday, in San Francisco's Chinatown. I unfortunately missed his debut film "Exit Through the Gift Shop" when I went to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, but did see two of his works on my excursion.

This is the one I saw in Park City:

And this is the one I saw in Salt Lake City:

#161 - tumtum tree

Today is a special day. The Day of the Earth!

Earth is so captivating! She has grand mountains, picturesque fields, vast blue oceans, rivers, streams, flowers, trees; beauty for sight, sound, taste, smell. And today, Earth. Today we salute you.

My salute:

riding my bike everywhere today instead of driving my car (except for work... that would take an hour and I could quite possible die on the freeway) ** not turning on the lights today... home by candlelight ** turning off the water while I'm brushing my teeth instead of letting it run ** unplugging my phone charger and other unnecessary cords **start my vegetable garden on my window sill ** opening the window instead of turning on the air

It has been easier to minimize my carbon footprint, living downtown and being able to bike all over instead of drive, but I can still do more!

Hooray Lady Earth!

#160 - prepared to sweat

This morning was my first attempt at Hot Yoga. The Bikram Yoga Studio is just a few blocks from my house and the earliest class is at 6:00 AM, so at 5:50, I rolled in. There was about 20 people in the class, but still managed to feel very individualized. She kept on saying things into the microphone like, "Straighten your legs a little more, Vanessa." and "Good arch in your back Mike, just tuck your head in."

90 minutes
26 yoga positions
107 degrees

I managed all but one position. The rest I attempted, but saw much need for improvement when I compared to the more experienced classmates.

drenched
dripping
depleted

dehydrated

She had this kind of mystical voice with a Yoga-ian accent. It was confusing at first, but I ended up liking it. I'm envisioning round two on Thursday will go slightly better.

#159 - tax man

April 15th, 2010: D-DAY

My normal taxes proceedure is to get them filed as soon as I receive my W-2 forms. I quickly filled out my online tax forms, only to discover I owed the tax man a few hundred. While all my friends celebrated their multi-hundred dollar returns, I tried to fit another deduction from my budget. Because I was paying, I was in no hurry to cut the government a check. Fast forward to April 15th. Federal taxes barely filed that morning and still the daunting State Income Tax. I had never had to do state taxes before (living in Washington) and did not want to go through the rigamarole. 4:00 pm... 6:00 pm... 8:00 pm... finally around 9:00 pm I finished my paperwork (with a little help from my friends), and headed over to the post office. I arrived to a bustle of cars mailing similar white envelopes, only to discover I didn't have stamps. I then drove across town to the Post Office that was actually open with employees (instead of just a drop box) only to hear that they didn't sell stamps. Drove over to Walmart to buy stamps. Left, to then notice I didn't have a pen to fill out the envelope. Back to Walmart to borrow a pen. Envelope in hand, I drove BACK to the post office at 10:30. It was rather comical: an endless stream of cars driving through a round-about, all sticking an envelope out their window, which is immediately grabbed and placed in a bucket by an out-door assistant to The Man. I felt the anarchistish camaraderie...

THEN!

I sped off for home (after realizing I slipped on the wrong freeway) to meet my friend on her bicycle in our parking lot. I ran upstairs, grabbed my bike to ride downtown. Us two met two more at a bar downtown for Goldfish Races. Masses of people crowded around two rain gutters as competitors coax their gold fish to swim down the line and run fish-head-first into the end of the gutter - claiming their prize ($125 bar tab). After cheering and flashing my camera for an hour-plus, we headed a few blocks down to a Karaoke bar. Horrid singing, but they all Karaoked just fine.
What a day!

#158 - hindu take two

I made it down for my second Hindu fix. At the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, UT, every year they celebrate the coming of spring at the Festival of Colors! About 30,000 people (ironically, 90% mormons) all squeezed together, splattering one another with color. (more pictures to come...)

• religious rejuvenation - kinda check
• inner peace - mostly check
• multicolored powder in every orifice - check
• destroyed clothes - check
• March's monthly excursion - check
• loving bonding - double check
• a blast! second year in a row! - hecka check

The only, potentially life-ending, struggle was the drive home. I apparently got a lot of chalk powder in my right eye, completely inhibiting my contact. If I opened both eyes at once, they would cross - suddenly launching cars in front of my car, or cause the road looking all screwy. Thus, I could only open one at a time, and for some reason my mouth had to be open and eye brows had to be raised as well. It was extremely exhausting for my face and caused a pounding headache. I discovered a trick about half way home and that was; if I was sucking on my water bottle straw, my eye no longer hurt. Don't ask me questions... it just worked. If I stopped drinking, searing pain and tears flooded from my eyes. Constantly having to drink water though, led to the need for frequent pit stops.

PRO: vision, hydration, life

CON: frequent stops means getting home later, prolonging the drive, thus causing more stops in a vicious circle of tired frustration

#157 - lost whiskers

TOGETHER, LET'S LEARN: Whiskers help the cat feel his way around. Whiskers are so sensitive that they can detect the slightest directional change in a breeze. At night, for example, this helps a cat slink its way through a room and not bump into anything. How? The air currents in the room change depending on where pieces of furniture are located. As the cat walks through the room and approaches the couch, he'll know which direction to turn based on the change in air current around the couch. But the whisker's primary use is to help a cat judge whether or not he'll fit through an opening. A cat's whiskers are roughly as wide as his body -- sort of a natural ruler. The whisker tips are sensitive to pressure. You'll probably see a cat stick his head in and out of an opening before he puts his body in. He's judging the width of the opening, and is determining if he can fit into it.

I feel as though, lately, I am a cat with my whiskers cut off. I apparently am back in a phase where I have no spacial perceptibility. I keep bonking my head, face, arms, legs... bumping into walls, cutting corners too closely... not ducking low enough and just not seeing certain things entirely. Owiee....

#156 - lady belle

My qualifications were thus: needs to be light-weight (because I will be keeping it in my apt; two flights up), have a classy retro look, street/cruiser/commuter (already equipped for mountainous terrain), needs to be a well known quality brand, needs to have a warranty, needs to have good reviews, needs to be in my $300 price-range.

I went to a couple of bike shops, just for browsing. The last one I entered: Bob's Bicycles. I went to the front counter and told the help exactly what I was looking for. I had a particular bicycle envisioned in my head and wasn't planning on settling. She showed me a few in my price range... errrr! Showed me one that was what I had described WAY outside my price range... errrr! The owner laughed when I told him what I wanted and he said $700 is minimum starting price for a bike like that. Thinking I would probably have to find my new bike in a second hand store, I just perused for a little while. After, I don't know.... 30 seconds, I found it! MY bike. It was perfect, exactly what I was looking for and was even on sale for the exact price I was looking for. It is simply put, the perfectly imagined bike.

I took it out for a test spin yesterday and still loved it. Then later that night for its official debut. I was riding along the green belt and whenever I would adjust my headlight, my hand would sweep across the front handlebar and accidentally 'ding' the bell. It was the happiest little sound and would always surprise me! I would then say, "Oh! Hello Belle!" as if my bicycle didn't want me to forget that she was a part of the bike ride too, and not to just use and ignore her. Belle and I had a beautiful ride and I love that she is waiting for me at home, as we speak. Another bike ride is in my future, for Saturday.

My favorite is the little wood panel on the back for my purse/backpack for downtown grocery shopping or long trips, for a bag filled with water and snacks.

#155 - whuppah

There's no place like Idaho. Very much so, I live in the desert. No green pine trees, no beautiful mountains in the distance, no soft lay-able grass. There's sagebrush and ... tumbleweeds, and brown. Could just be that it's felt like winter has lasted forever and I'm ready for glorious sunshine, or it could be that I live in Idaho. It's been so windy and the weather has been very bipolar lately, I'm ready for continues rays of happy.

Today is no exception: this blew by work today. I've never seen a tumbleweed so large! Whenever I see tumbleweeds, I always think of that song I heard when I was little, "Rollin' rollin' rollin', keep them doggies rollin'. Rawhide! Whickchu!"

#154 - ogling google

So I have a crush on the super-cool, Google. They are always coming out with extremely user friendly, fancy features and products. I'm really into the Google Reader, iGoogle, Google Earth (woah!), blogger ('course), Google Desktop, Google Calendar, Picasa, YouTube, Docs, Gmail (beyond rad... I have a public account, a private account, a personal account, and a super-special-happy account. AND thank you very much I was one of the first test-gmail accounts), and the highlight today: Google Maps. Not only does it show you everywhere and routes (better than mapquest or other others), satellite imaging and the street views (like you're actually driving down the road), BUT I recently discovered the "more" selection. You can pick to have bike paths illuminated for easy routing, and even see pictures and movies posted from those areas.

#153 - february flight

Keeping in line with my 2010 goals, I went on my second trip of the year to Colorado. I hadn't seen my sister's family since, a year ago, Christmas; plus, hadn't seen new Norah yet. My friends Adrienne and Corrine were kind enough to let me fly on a buddy pass, making the flight very affordable. Catching my plane from Boise to Salt Lake, and then Salt Lake to Montrose was a breeze. Each time, they called my name and I was allowed onto the plane. I spend Thursday - Sunday with my family; playing, going out to lunch, attending my sister's book club [The Book Thief], reading stories, piggy back rides, late night movies, and delicious meals.

Flying back Sunday, though, was a bit of a waiting game. I got to the tiny baby Montrose airport and noticed a plane was loading. I asked the desk if this was my flight (no flight read-out screens). She said it was for Denver and my flight was not for some time and to take a seat. There were no loud-speaker announcements, so I tried to sit close to the counter. I delved deep into my book while the other flight loaded. After about 10 minutes (i

f that), I hear someone yell, "Vanessa Park, your plane is leaving." I jumped up, handed over my seat request with a shocked look on my face. Apparently in 5 minutes, Denver had loaded, closed, taken off; and Salt Lake had been announced, boarded and was moments from leaving the strip. Guess I delved deeper in my book than I thought...

Once to Salt Lake, plane after plane was over booked. Requests were made for people to volunteer to step off each of the planes, so a second-list-little-stand-by-girl was a low priority. 3:00 flight - full. 5:00 flight - full. 8:00 flight - full. My friends who offered the ticket had, granted, warned me a Sunday evening flight from Salt Lake was a long shot, but I could try. They showed me the way to the VIP "Crown Room: Fancy dressed men and women can sit in a quiet, luxurious room with free drinks and food, on cumpfy couches and watch big screen televisions. Although it was a long day, it was nice to sit in a quieter place, away from the insanity that was the SLC Sunday afternoon, and watch the Olympics, or read my book.

Finally, the 9:45 flight rolled around and my name was called. I've never been so happy to hear my name before, "Park, Vanessa... Please come to the front terminal for your seat assignment". GLORIOUS! Seat 33 F. My wonder-seat home.