…but I like PETA’s marketing strategy because it’s so damn appealing to huge population of meat-eating males out there. This potential Subperbowl ad got the “thumbs down” from NBC censors:

If you don’t know what an Loldog (or Lolcat) is, check this link: ihasahotdog.com

Indy wants in on the action:

Most Excellent…

Tempeh (marinated in balsamic vineagerette dressing), sauteed mushrooms and onions, mozarella cheese, and arugula

Since today’s ride deserves its own blog post, I figured I’d start by posting some photos of a morning hike to the actual “top” of Mt. Magazine.

The top of the mountain is pretty cool- there’s a stone rendering of the state of Arkansas, complete with a rock-star for Little Rock, and a USGS “button” with the elevation inscribed on top. Here are some shots from the top (click to see full-size versions):

After the ride, I also tried to take some artsy bike-porch shots…

You may be asking why I was briefly considering NOT going to Mt. Magazine this weekend for climbing time. Well, the weather was looking like highs would be in the 20’s, and I just can’t ride in those conditions because my circulation just doesn’t function as it should.
Case in point- Walking from my building at U of M out to my car, my left middle finger started to go numb (no problem w/others, just that one). By the time I came home, got the mail, brought in the trash and recycling bins, it was totally white and had no feeling in it.

No one ever believes me when I tell them that my fingers randomly lose circulation, so I figured I’d snap a photo. I had to let the dogs out first, but still managed to catch the tail end of the zombie finger attack as circulation began to get back to it…

It’s one of the symptoms of Reynaud’s Disease, which has been the source of some severe cold-related finger pain the past few winters. There’s not a lot to do about it other than use it as an opportunity to pretend that I’m trying out for a part in a George Romero flick…

So I arrived back home in Memphis yesterday just before 3:00. Unfortunately, while I was away at a fabulous training camp, Ryan found out that his Grandpa Al died (fortunately, I got to meet him once when we took our trip North last summer- he was a really neat person & had some great stories). So, soon after getting home, I went with Ryan to the store to pick out a suit for the funeral (I’m somewhat fashion-challenged, but luckily, the guys/gals @ Men’s Warehouse were more than helpful).
I think he looked pretty snazzy:

I drove Ryan to the airport this morning, and am not due to pick him up until Thursday evening. This, combined with the fact that I’m out of school until Faculty meetings next Tuesday (the 13th), means that I’ve got a bit of free time on my hands. I don’t really know what do do as far as training… I just rode my tail off in Texas/Oklahoma, but after taking the day off yesterday to drive home & relax, I’m feeling anxious to get back on my bike (though I’ll probably just run today or something since I got a pretty painful saddle sore during our Wednesday ride, and continued riding hasn’t helped it heal much).
Sitting around & brainstorming, I figured I’d make a list of “stuff to do” to keep myself occupied the next few days:

• Wash some bikes. There are 3 dirty ones calling to me right now!
• Put some gears on my Surly… I just got an email from the Southern Cross race promoter- seems there’s ~12 miles & 3,000 feet of solid climb on the race course that I’ll be traversing in few weeks. If it were only that, I’d just go with a lower SS gear, BUT the elevation profile shows that the first 12 miles is flat/slightly downhill, so I don’t want to be stuck spinning at 100+ rpms going 17mph while the competition speeds off towards the climb (I entered the women’s category rather than the SS category). I think it’ll be worth the hit I’ll take on weight (in SS form, the Surly is just over 21 pounds!) to get the top end speed that an Ultegra 1×9 setup will give me. Watch out, ladies- I’m bound to be climbing like a mountain goat by then!
• Cook a gourmet meal using the halibut that Ryan’s brother brought when he came down for X-mas (yes, I’m awesome enough to wrench on my bike, then tie on an apron and be equally capable of greatness!) I’m thinking something invloving lemon, maybe some almonds, and side dishes like asparagus & wild rice.
• Talk to the nutritionist that we met from Living Well Dallas and lay out some sort of diet plan to help me lose about 10 pounds before my first race of the 2009 season (Valley of the Sun). I look great as is, but Oklahoma was a frustrating reminder that I am too heavy to get up hills efficiently.
• Along the same lines, I need to talk to the life coach from Living Well Dallas. She had some really good advice about setting up goals and changing behaviors/habits for the better.
• Maybe go see a movie… but there’s nothing out I really want to see, so I might get a Blockbuster membership and indulge in some old GI Joe episodes or something.
• Hmm… I’m sure I’ll think of something else…

Today was mostly a day for family. We drove down to Drew, MS to my Grandmother’s house to have some delicious Southern cuisine (including shrimp grits and various jello fruit salads), then came home just in time to ride trainers for an hour before Ryan’s brother & sister-in-law arrived from their drive down from Wisconson.

Meanwhile, I started packing for training camp. The prospect of spending 10 days in Texas is pretty exciting. I’m pretty amped to meet all of my new teammates and get some serious hours in on the bike since life has been interfering a little bit lately.

…and the icing was flying like MAD!!!!

Ryan’s mom is in town, and she baked some killer sugar cookies. Ryan & I finished them off with some equally fabulous buttercream frosting.