pinkgurugal

Bittersweet Beginnings

2009-01-19T13:59:00.012-06:00

09 updates . . .

The holidays have come and gone, and here we are , mid January, and I have not blogged. I have fallen off the blog ladder. It's easy to blog when you are tracking and training for triathlons, but when you are just living your life and recovering from back surgery, it's hard to stay consistent. Then, there was my recent period of mourning.

Rest in Pet Peace

My beloved Ally died on New Year's eve. We were returning from a nice trip in Mexico when we got a call from my buddy Mike that Ally was lying on our living room floor, dead. He just walked in an she was lying there like she was sleeping, only she was dead.

So of course, clearing customs, I was a complete mess. She apparently died that day, somewhere between the morning and noon hours, so when I got home that evening, she had not been dead that long. It was an awful night, with Rob and I taking her to the animal hospital to ensure she was refrigerated, then returning the next day to pick her up to take to our vet for a necropsy, or doggie autopsy.

Ally was my constant in these last eight years. I have had so many life experiences, and she was always there. I loved her like a kid, so her sudden passing was really tough.

If there is anything I can take comfort in knowing, it's that ally went peacefully. we later learned after checking out her organs that she had a big tumor in her heart. she was never in pain. her heart simply stopped.

Ally also passed away on new year's eve, as if to leave before the new year and to close out 2008. Eerily symbolic to me. And the fact that she waited to die on the day we returned was also something. If she had died days earlier, no question we would have cut our vacation short.

I picked up her ashes today. I plan to take them to atlanta and spread them at this creek where she used to run as a puppy.

Love you Ally. I miss you dearly.

. . . . Bionic Back . . . Last week also marked my one month anniversary of my mega back surgery. I met with my surgeon, who was very happy with what he saw. . . .

The bright part of that Xray is the actual titanium hardware in my lower back. Strange but true. .

.So how do I feel? Well, my left side is still pretty sore. I can walk with ease, but running for the time being is out of the question. Is it less painful than before? I cant tell right now because I am still sore, but I sure am recovering quickly. My doctor has cleared me to walk and ride my stationary bike, so that makes me happy. I can also do light weights, but of course I hate doing weights so i haven't even begun to do that!.

It's still strange to me that my back is being held by rods and screws. The good news is that I'm not on pain medication any more. i might occasionally take one /half a vicoden if i'm feeling really sore, but that's rare.. .

Marathon Moments

.Yesterday I cheered on marathoners at the Houston marathon. How strange it was for me to be on the other side. I still loved it. I loved seeing friends running. I loved yelling out stranger's names. I loved seeing people smile, drink beer, look dejected, stop and walk, move quickly. We stood around mile 21 where we waited for our good friend Joe to come by.

We saw him!

He did. In truth, Joe rolls like me when it comes to marathons. He doesn't train, puts in a long run a week before the race and just gets out there.

. Ironically, Joe and I ran the last 13 miles of last year's marathon together. albeit slowly. We just happened to bump into each other and used all the mindless support we could get. Last year I didn't train either. I think I did one long run as well.

. Anyhoo, the point is, marathons are still cool to me. I can't wait to get back into all this and run houston next year. woo hoo!

. Congrats to the marathoners! It was another gorgeous day!

Besides the tragedy of Ally, life is good. Grad school starts back up tomorrow. I am taking 3 classes, doing one independent study on death row appeals and advocacy, and I will continue my internship at baylor.

I'm not training for triathlons because I can't. But that's okay. Other good things are happening, and I am happy.

Cheers and happy training!

. "...love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." .

Khalil Gibran

Two weeks!

2008-12-23T16:42:00.002-06:00

Step by Step . I am feeling SO much better. I wouldn't say 100 percent, but I am officially off my medication as of a few days ago. I did take one vicoden today because i was sore, but suffice it to say I don't need it to manage. . . Christmas is a few days away, and I have to say besides being greatful for my friends and family and the love that surrounds me, I am so grateful for my health and a new back. It has been two weeks as of today I was wheeled in for the surgery, and I am already looking forward to more and more activity. I have to admit, I am dying to do more than just walk, but I don't walk to take any chances as my bones heal. I am so looking forward to cycling in the coming months, and who knows, maybe the doctor will clear me for a sprint? Trust me though, I will not push it! . . I hope everyone enjoys the holidays. I am looking forward to mine, and I am optimistic for an even better 2009! . . Cheers and happy training! . . "All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness ... the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives." . Dalai Lama

Walking Works

2008-12-20T09:59:00.002-06:00

For the past few days I have been walking and walking and walking. And by walking I literally mean putting one foot in front of another. I haven't been walking fast, because quite frankly I can't. I have however, managed to get my distance up. I began the week with a few miles, followed by days of walking four miles. Yesterday I walked a whole eight miles! . Now mind you, I'm not huffing and puffing, and I am not sure I consider the pace of my walking "working out". But I am noticing improvement. I am still sore, but as I walk I am careful to engage my abs and keep going. . I've also seen progress in my medication intake. I have widdled down my pain meds to about half, or 4 pills a day. At night things still ache, but I try to manage through the pain. . It still pains me, however, to see people run and workout. I know I will be back, but it just goes to show how we often take things like exercise for granted. I know when my back heals I will be better. . Here's to more walking! . Cheers and happy training "Rest is a good thing, but boredom is its brother." - Voltaire

Far from Seventh Heaven

2008-12-16T15:53:00.004-06:00

A week's worth

One week ago, just around the time I am writing this, I was being wheeled into surgery. I don't remember being knocked out. The last thing I remember was being in the pre op area, having a needle with some white looking stuff I was told was valium injected into me. Apparently, that valium was supposed to make me calm. It made me pass out a tad early, but that's alright. The sooner, the better.

So what's the prognosis today? Progress, but slow. Last night I managed to walk a whole mile at the gym. The gym has an indoor track that measures 1/8 a mile. It took me a whole 30 minutes! I have to walk slowly, because my back still hurts, and with every step, I can feel some twinge or pang. Oh the joys of post back surgery.

One mile in 30 minutes? How crazy does that sound?

Taking Today off

I have spent the day indoors. I am easing off on the cleaning and house chores because it probably wasn't a great idea. Last night, we went to bed late because we stayed up watching True Blood, a new HBO series about modern day vampires who have "come out of the coffin" and are adapting to mainstream America now that a japanese made synthetic blood is available. Ha! The show is addicting, but I think it made for some pretty wacky dreams overnight.

I dreamed I was dangling precariously from a trapeze. It felt freeing and dangerous at the same time, and I was doing it at a department store. What the dream meant I have no clue.. what kind of metaphor is that?

Pain Threshhold Thoughts

I used to think I had a high threshhold for pain, given my years of back problems. I think I was wrong. Case in point, getting my ironman tattoo hurt like hell. Kelly, who got one at the same time, didn't feel it as much as I did. Then I hate needles. It hurt when I got stuck at the hospital.

Now to my "new and improved" back.

I am still feeling a great deal of pain if I don't take the vicoden. I take two every 4 to 6 hours. I tried taking just one this mornng, but it didn't help. And when I wake up, my back hurts like crazy.

So if I really had a high threshhold for pain, don't you think I would not need so much pain medication at this point?

Trust me, if I could, I would get off the meds entirely!

Dog Day Afternoons

I have to share these photos. My dogs have no idea what to do now that I am home all the time!

. . Ally basically plops onto the couch and snores away. I now she looks depressed, but she really looks like this all the time. . .

We recently adopted Tommy from my parents, who couldn't take care of him anymore. He has been a really sweet dog and is actually a better guard dog than ally (he barks at everything). I love that he camouflages when on the couch!.

Cheers and happy training!

"To err is human, to forgive, canine." - Unknown

Pain Management

2008-12-15T18:08:00.004-06:00

A Sixth Sense . . It's hardly believable to me that it has been SIX days since my surgery. There was so much anticipation on my part for this major procedure, and now it's over and the recovery process is in progress! I am very blessed to have wonderful friends. In my house sits five incredible arrangements, lots of cards and well wishes, and I've had many wonderful visits. . .

It's really nice to know people care. Now, I did receive two dozen red roses today, addressed from the Methodist Hospital. Am I to assume the hospital sent them, or some unknown person? Maybe the hospital was sending flowers because of the meltdown incident? I had a few people, including the nurse director, come visit me and ask me what had happened. Was this its way of saying sorry? Anyhoo, they look and smell great.

Night Naggings

I had a not so good night last night. Before I went to bed, I accidentally took two of my muscle relaxers instead of one, so I skipped the vicoden thinking the extra dose of musle relaxer would knock me out.

Wrong.

I woke up around midnight in seething pain. My legs start feeling sharp shooting pains and my lower back starts plain hurting. The vicoden have been a lifesaver, and I pretty much take them every four hours, except for when I head to bed. So instead of bearing the pain, I popped two pills and went back to sleep. Only I kept on waking up through the night. I was sweating and having the strangest dreams all night. At one point I was trying to get to the beach because it was my turn to watch the shetland pony? I did get a my little pony toy as part of my happy meal package the other day... I wonder if that had anything to do with it?

Daytime Turnaround

I woke up pretty groggy this morning, but once I was up and around I started feeling great. Of course, that's with the help of pain pills and mobility. Rob and I took a walk around the neighborhood, and I walked a whole two blocks! That's major for me. I went from shuffling to walking relatively normally, although with tightness.

So I am better, but of course in the back of my mind I have some fear that the pain, and these little sharp shooting pains, won't go away. Of course they will, right? I mean, it has only been six days? I just hate that right around the fourth hour, the pain creeps back, and I am forced to take 2 more pain pills. Two pills are all I need, but I need them. I take about 10 pills a day, and three muscle relaxer pills a day. I was hoping to wean by now, but I simply can't. The pain has not subsided and worsens at night, although my mobility is better.

Cleaning Clutter

I have been doing a lot of organizing around the house. I cleaned out a few kitchen drawers, organized some drawers for office supplies and threw out a bunch of junk. It's amazing to me how much crap piles up in drawers when you neglect them.

I'm also back to obsessively cleaning. I have been keeping up with the kitchen and bathroom.

Maybe I am overdoing it. I do a lot of kneeling, but I am careful to not bend my back. Laying around drives me crazy, but I know, I need to be careful. I just hate seeing a messy, cluttered home.

Maybe tomorrow I'll just rest and catch up on Grey's Anatomy or Ugly Betty. I have not watched one episode this year, but did TIVO them.

Cheers and happy training!

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

Getting Back on Track

2008-12-13T12:03:00.009-06:00

Mind Altering Mistakes

Firstly, forgive me for my many grammatical errors and missed words in my last post. Being on 2o grams of Vicoden every 4 to 6 makes me pretty loopy. Hopefully as my pain subsides, so will my use of these lifesavers. Seems like I'm taking them like candy right now, but such is the purpose. Seriously, without pain meds, I cant imagine how one possibly survives a slice and dice surgery like mine.

So it's Sunday morning and relative to post operation, I am moving around much better. I am able to walk without shuffling, kneel down to pick up things (I credit cycling to my legs abilities to carry the weight), and get in and out of the bed without too much pain. Speaking of pain....

Since this was my first ever surgery, I guess I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know that pain pills only take the pain edge off, that there is still soreness and that dull pain down your legs and that the pain feels familiar if not worse than the pain I felt before surgery. How can I describe it? Well, imagine someone taking your entire lower back and squeezing every bone and muscle as hard as they can and never letting go. The imagine that with every movement, whether it be bending or getting into a different position, that squeeze is excacerbated by a tentacles of pain shooting down both legs. Welcome to my recovery.

Notwithstanding, I do feel improvement and can sort of, in a strange way, see that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe this is in my head, but the pain I used to endured by my fractured vertebrate, bad disc and slipped disc is soreness is following my surgery...this I am hopeful. I couldn't imagine living with this indefinitely.

Last night, and I don't know what I was thinking, I decided to take Rob up on his offer and head to our local sushi restaurant. Major mistake. I still cant comfortably sit, so I twisted and turned the entire time. There is a reason the doctor orders bed rest for two weeks. I learned that the hard way last night.

I have received countless well wishes from friends, many of whom are like family to me. One of whom paid me a surprise visit last night.

Ironbabe Jane, fresh from her first Ironman finish, came into town. It was so nice to see her, kinda like comfort food. Oh and earlier that day BFF Ryan and cuteface Andy came over. Ironically, Ironman Hawaii was on TV. Jane also got inked, albeit considerably smaller than mine.

Which leads me to my hope and determination to be back on training and on track for another Ironman finish. Doc is saying 6 months before running, and before that, just walking and light weights, swimming, stationary cycling, etc. It 's encouraging to me that he was confident the surgery went well, and I should be able to do the things I want to do in a year or so.

I may or may not be blogging more in the days to come, since I am homebound. I have a huge mound of magazines to thumb through, but thankfully my first semester of school and my internship have ended (more about this later).

Cheers and happy training!

The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.-- Hubert H. Humphrey

Back Blogging

2008-12-12T15:10:00.010-06:00

I know, I haven't blogged in a million years. But the last three days of my life are definitely blogworthy and something I'd like to reflect . Because Tuesday evening was one of the most significant things of my life. Definitely a top-tenner. I finally had my back surgery. So kinda like a race report, this will be a blog chronicles how I got here, my thoughts on the surgery, my meltdown, and finally, my release. WOO HOO! I was only hospitalized for three nights!

.....

Waterskiing Woes

.....

So ten years ago, while living in Saipan, I was out waterskiing. Only the driver of the boat took a hard right to avoid a wave, making my flex and crunch my L4, which is the one of the lower back vertebrates. The first several months following that accident were horrible. Sharp shooting pains, an inability to workout, etc. But eventually, through much physical therapy, I got through that and was able to resume running, which at that time was my only physical passion.

...

....

Through the years, I simply sucked it up. Some days were better than other, and I tried just about every therapy out there. While they helped releived the pain, it always came back. And I refused surgery, since it was manageable.

Fast forward to 2005. I think I was running my fifth marathon and simply couldn't do it anymore. I was taking tylenol like candy and the pain was unbearable at time. So that year I commited to diversifying my workouts by taking up triathlons. The irony.

Of course I got bit by the ironman bug. So how did I manage the pain for the last few years? I discovered cortizone injections and vicoden. Now people give V a bad rap, but it's a godsend. Vioxx was too, but of course that was taken off the market.

This past year, things got as worse as they had been. My vertebrate now revealed fracture lines on both sides, slippage between my L4 and L5, and my L5 disc was deteriorating. Simply put, my body took a pounding from doing triathlons. But it sure was worth it.

I also commited, or my doctor commited for me, to stop getting injections. He didn't like the V idea either, to which I concur. Best take care of this problem by no longer band aiding it, but to consider an alternative.

As fate would have it, my neighbor and I happened to be speaking as I ran by her house. She has also finished an ironman. I told her how bad my back had gotten, to which she beckoned her husband to come outside. Turns out, he's a neurosurgeon who has performed thousands of surgeries and is considered among the top doctors in fixing bad back.

Four or so months after that fateful meeting, here I am getting wheeled into my first ever surgery. And it was a serious one. Pardon me for my plain spoken language when it comes to what my doctor did, but it's easier to explain it this way.

1) Shave off the fractured part of the L4

2) remove bad disc, crunch up the shaved off L4 bone and place into disc

3) allign the slippage area and insert rods, forming a cage like concoction.

And of course I was nervous. But I want to live my life to the fullest, I want to keep training, doing races and eventually, my lower back area would get to the point I'd have to have surgery anyhow, so why wait. And trust me, I really have tried just about every form of alternative treatment out there. There's not a whole lot doctors can do with a bad disk, fractured bones and slippage. Medication may quell the pain, but that was it.

Surgery Summary

The surgery, according to my doctor, lasted four hours. He told me was a perfectionist and wanted to do it right. That was comforting to know. I mean, he is my neighbor... he wouldnt want me to walk by giving him the finger or something.

I was pretty woozy when I came to, a bit sore in the lower back area, but i was good. The first night was pretty tought, since I was still tender and couldn't get comfortable. With the help of a morphine drip , I was on my way to recovery.

The next day was an entirely different story.

I thought I was ready. I had confidence that two nights in the hospital were all I needed. But a series of things happened that led to my....

MAJOR MELTDOWN

That morning I took my first steps. I told the doctor I was feeling good. So we decided to get me off the morphine drip and switch to vicoden. Then it was suggested I remove my catheter and start urinating on my own. Major rookie mistakes on my part.

By early afternoon, I couldnt pee. I would sit on the toilet for what seemed like forever. Then I was starting to feel more pain and it didn't register to me i needed more medication. Or maybe i wasn't vocal enough. Or maybe my nurse that day was an inexperienced BEE-OTCH.

Anyways, by that evening, I had a bladder full of pee, I was miserable and I couldn't even move or get out of the bed. I was in so much pain that by 8:30 that even, I started bawling and getting scared. Thankfully Rob called my doctor and I was back on the morphine, not to mention my catheter was reinserted. They say that it takes 6-8 hours before one can pee again after removing that darn bad, but I guess the nurse figured I would hold it and take it. Anyhoo, it was a bad few hours. Once the morphine kicked in I was much better. It just wasn't fun.

The following day, I got a new nurse. The doctor wouldn't allow me to leave if I was going to stay on morphine, so I took a chance and went to the vicoden instead. Only this time he doubled up my intake. I was taking pills every four hours and by last night, I managed to pee on my own again.

So this morning, much to my excitement. I checked out. I'm very grateful to my doctor and the great nurses who nursed me back from my meltdown. Im grateful to those who stopped by to visit, and I will forever be grateful to Rob, who served as not just my partner, but my advocate through this process. He was there the entire time and hardly left my site.

It's been less than 72 hours since my surgery. I am home, medicated, but I am walking around and ready for a speedy recovery. I'm amazed at my progress, from barely walking to now walking quite a bit. That's not to say I don't feel pain. I do. But it's under control.

I am homebound for the next two weeks, and I am not allowed to drive or do anything strenuous. I am relegated to just walking, but it's okay. I'd rather be sacrificing this time healing than in the condition I was previously in, and that's slowly deteriorating.

I think this is the longest blog I have written, but I wanted to chronicle my thoughts.

Cheers and happy training...or recovery on my part!

"Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it."

Tori Amos

Confessions

2008-11-16T09:54:00.003-06:00

Half IM-less For those of you who raced in last weekends Ironstar half ironman, a major congrats. I have not gotten in any race reports from friends, but from what I remember about last Sunday, it was a chilly, crisp morning followed by a sunny, cool day. Which brings me to mmmm.... me. I did not race as I had planned. Truth be told, my back wasnt doing well, and I simply didn't put in the hours in time for the race. I mean, I did feign training for a short time, and my back paid the price. So that pretty much ended that. I wanted to end this triathlon season with a bang, but I guess it was more of a crackle. In 2008, i think i raced in abot 4 sprints. THAT'S IT. Thats compared to the numerous sprints, halfs and FULL IRONMAN in 2007. Which is why I have not been blogging. I mean, what am I going to blog about if I'm not training? So A LOT is going on in my personal life. But I'm not splashing my personal stuff into this public forum. People don't want to know about the day to day mundane. Hell, I don't even want to hear about that. That's not inspiring. I will say, however, grad school is winding down. I love the subject matter (social work is very feel goody) and I love my internship working with teens and young adults with severe or chronic disabilities. Going back to school was definitely the right move, and of course, with our economy, i'm glad to be here and not "out there"......mmm... for the time being. Austin Visit I have spent this weekend in Austin visiting my dear friend, Ironbabe Jane. Many of you know here because of her numerous appearances on this blog. Jane is doing her FIRST Ironman next weekend in Arizona, so it has been nice to taper train with her, not to mention eat at the awesome Whole Foods Concept store just next to her home. I'm proud of Jane. We met a year and half ago during a talk I gave to first time female triathletes. Now look how much our little Jane has grown up! CONGRATS JANE! GO #2225! (That's her IM Arizona bib!) cheers and happy training! "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" C.S. Lewis

Cram training crunch

2008-10-26T21:35:00.004-05:00

So yesterday I rode 25 and ran 10. Not long ago...mmmm.... like last year, that would have seemed like no big deal.... yesterday it felt like HELL. Save for the weather, I was totally spent. I was slow as a caterpillar, and my back was SCREAMING in pain. Which begs the question: WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING? Am I crazy to want to do a half ironman in two weeks given my back is killing me and i'm seven weeks away from MAJOR back surgery? maybe, but here's my reasoning... . . . . . . . Since I will be out of commission for at least six months, I want to do ONE more, just in case. I mean, what if the surgery doesn't go well and i cant run anymore after this, much less do triathlons? I will be triathlon deprived, training deprived and sulking in non multisport misery. . . . . One last hurrah won't hurt...that bad...will it??? . . . . . Cheers and happy training! . . . . "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great.

Race not Ready

2008-10-21T09:57:00.002-05:00

I have fallen behind on blogging because quite frankly, last week was a big blur. I managed to get some cycling in, but not nearly enough to be race ready for a half ironman. Still, i plan to cram and hope for the best. Even if I have to walk the damn race, I'm in. I've been having dreams about the back surgery. Probably not unusual since this will be my first ever surgery. If it all goes well, I will have one lower vertebrate removed, one disc, the bone compound from that lower vertbrate will be placed into the area where the disc was removed, and I will also have my spine fused by plates that will hold it together. WHEW! Just writing that freaked me out. My internship is going well. I love the small staff, am amazed just how many chronically ill young patients are out there, and I hate the insurance hoops they have to go through just to see a doctor. Being an "intern" is like being 22 for me all over again, but it's fine. I am there to learn, and of course, file papers and answer phones. But you have to start somewhere, right? Anyhoo, I have three papers and a million things to do today Better go do them. Cheers and happy training! "Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around." Henry David Thoreau

Back to Business and Biking

2008-10-13T19:27:00.005-05:00

It has been a long time since I have been an intern. But that's what I am again, an intern. . . . Two days a week from now until next May, I am an intern at Baylor College of Medicine's Transition Medicine Clinic, where they see teens and young adult with severe disabilities and help them transition into adult care. Case referral, management type stuff. Its amazing the chronic illnesses out there. Some I had to google. If you really think you have it hard, ask some of these kids and their families about their days. . . . . So today was a not so interesting day for me...get the badge, entered some names and addresses, read some grants, set up some BCM stuff, etc. Good intern type stuff. I am there to learn. I was distracted all day with some personal stuff on my mind, but i put on a good intern face. . . . . The best part of the day was getting to know the social worker there. A fabulous woman with three grown children who's writing a book about tools to use when journaling. . . . . I have a private journal, and it seems the only time i write in it is when i am sad. . . . . . There were NO entries for 2007. . . . . Then of course, there's this blog. I call this my fun, keep me responsible to my training, journal. . . . .. Tonight it was a mere 21 miles on the pink guru. My back still hurts and is pretty tight today so no running. . . . . I may ride in the country tomorrow morning. . . . Cheers and happy training! . . . . "Beautiful is greater than Good, for it includes the Good." Goethe . . .

A Sullen Sunday

2008-10-12T17:24:00.003-05:00

This time last year, I think I was the happiest girl in the world. I had just completed my first ironman with my bestest friend, I was happy with my circle of friends, and I was getting set to quit, take a major leap of faith, quit my job and travel the world. . . . Of course, God had other plans for me. I met the man of my dreams, shortened the travelling, came back, settled in and took some time off. And a few months ago, I was off to graduate school for social work. . . . Today, I find myself struggling to get out there train. I don't have that natural high and enthusiasm to do it like I used to, and I wish I did. . . . Without going into detail, today was a lousy day. Probably one of the worst in my life. I was going to ride 50 in the country, but my plans changed for reasons I could not have ever imagined. . . . God doesn't put stuff in your life you can't handle, right? Adversity builds character, so I have heard. But sometimes, we don't see in when we are in the thick of it. . . . I'm pinkgurugal, but I feel awfully blue today. . . . Cheers and happy training . . . "Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret" Ambrose Bierce

Training Tribulations

2008-10-11T17:07:00.004-05:00

It's late Saturday afternoon, and I need to get my butt off this dining room chair to TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN. I have been pretty good over the last few days (Thursday 30 minute swim and stretching, Friday 1:30 easy ride), but I still need to step things up. Still, it's just my first week of getting back into it, and I don't want to kills myself. I did that last weekend. .. .. . . . . My back is a burning sore piece of S*^!# . It felt so tight this morning, that even light massaging didn't help. Of course, I have been sitting on this chair for hours on end writing three papers for school. . . . . . . 1) How i will plan to master my practice skills (like empathy, feedback...blah blah blah) . . . . . 2) journaling on cases I can't stomach (mine happened to be one about a rape) . . . . 3) Examining Barack Obama's healthcare plan usings models of analysis.... (love Obama, but the plan falls a bit short....mmmm..and I'm biased!) . . . .

I have been pretty productive today, but I still need to head out for my run....

Then we are supposed to head to a 40th birthday party.

I'm five years away.

Cheers and happy training!

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow." Helen Keller

Ride, Run and Write Write Right?

2008-10-08T23:10:00.002-05:00

My blog is keeping me honest when it comes to my commitment to do a half ironman in 4 1/2 weeks, despite the fact that I had not been training. . . . My blog is keeping me honest because when I know I have to answer to my blog and would feel like a loser if I wrote tonight that I did not train, I will do it. . . So I trained. . . Note to self. Running seven miles after taking a hiatus leaves mighty sore legs. . . . So tonight I rode 18 miles and ran 3. And it hurt. With every step my thighs were burning in pain. I think it hurt so much my back forgot to remind me it hurts too. . . . Someone once said pain moves when you run. Mine stayed in my thighs the ENTIRE time I ran. . . . This is what I get for getting out of the training loop. . . . Pain is good. Eye on the prize. . . And thank you Jesus for IPODS. . . Had another paper to write tonight about the social work profession. I still can't believe sometimes that soon, I too will be a social worker. . . Still makes me smile. . . . . Cheers and happy training!! . . "Work is effort applied toward some end. The most satisfying work involves directing our efforts toward achieving ends that we ourselves endorse as worthy expressions of our talent and character." Wlliam J. Bennett

Muscle Memory

2008-10-07T22:28:00.003-05:00

Running Rumination . . I have not run in weeks. In fact, the last time I remembered running was a couple of weeks ago, and I ran 4 miles at best. . . . A big part of the reason I have not been runnning has to do with my bad back. I've got fracture lines, herniation, deterioration, complications..blah blah blah. . . . This december, I've decided that ten years of pain is enough. I'm done with band aiding the problem. I'm going to have spinal fusion surgery. Plus removal of a vertebrate and a disc. Fun. . . Mmm... I digressed my point. ADD moment. Sorry...that's me. . . So anyhoo, since I am committing to a half ironman November 9th, and since I am cram training, I am hitting things as hard as a can. . . . 123 miles of riding over the weekend. ... Yesterday I took off. . . . Tonight: Seven miles. . . . I was slow as molasses, but surprisingly, I made it. Sure I was tired. Sure it hurt my back. But I ran without stopping, and that's what I needed to know, that I could run. . . . So my commitment to myself is to continue throwing together workouts for the next four weeks to be ready for the half. I will probably be slow. I will probably be in pain. Heck, I may even regret it. . . . But I need to get into the spirit of triathlon again. I won't be doing any for at least a year after my surgery...so this last one will be the big shi-bang. . . . In fact, I am SO SAD I will not be running my sixth consecutive Houston Marathon in January. I am selling my race entry to a girlfriend. Boo hoo. . . .

I'm glad I'm back at all this. Training is not the same. I'm doing it alone again.

But I need it.

One footnote: I started my social work internship. Office environments are such a departure from a TV news room... talk about some serious career culture shock!! . . . Cheers and happy training! . . Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. ~Henry David Thoreau

School stuff

2008-10-06T19:44:00.005-05:00

Graduate School Grunts . . . I'm a student again. A graduate student that is. Eight plus weeks ago I started the first semester in a two year program to get my masters in SOCIAL WORK. . . . At first I was so nervous about going to school. I mean, it had been 14 years since I was a student. And this is total career change, not to mention a life change for me. I mean, I went from being a blow and go reporter to graduate student. From high profile to no profile. And I love it. . . Not that there had been some questionable days. . . I could talk about the day I got lost on campus after orientation and cried in the pouring rain. Then there was that first week of school, when I lugged my books, parked a million miles away, and suffered the worst back pain ever. I rectified that by buying a nerdy rolling backpack. . . It's pink of course. . . .

Overall, it has so far been a positive experience. I like my professors, love my classmates (all but 3 of whom are women), and I especially enjoy the subject matter. Social work is in the business of helping people, particularly the poor and underserved. We help in crisis, counsel, aid, advocate... anything that has to do with helping people who otherwise might not be able to help themselves. Tomorrow I begin my yearlong internship at Baylor College of Medicine working with severely disabled teens and young adults. I'm pretty nervous. And it will be the first time this year that I have gone to "work". I suspect it will be a humbling experience.

. I got a much needed massage today from Cheryl, so I decided I would not ruin my loosened back by taking the day off from running.

I know, I need to run if I want to make that half ironman in five weeks.

But I have homework. And Rob's making steak and okra.

And it smells so yum.

Cheers and happy training! "You're happiest when you're making the greatest contribution." Robert F. Kennedy

Blog...is this you?

2008-10-05T21:59:00.003-05:00

Even though I took a blog break for some time, and even though I should be writing one of four papers for school (more on that in a moment), I am back to my blog, compelled to write. I mean, blogging was such a part of my life in 2007, then I sort of dropped it like a hot potato in 2008. As I became more involved with my personal life and the changes surrounding it, I became less involved with triathlons and thus, blogging. But I must admit, I just plain miss it. My blog kept me self inspired, and in many ways, it's therapeutic. My blog is just a part of who I am, however egocentric that sounds. Anyhoo, in life, sometimes to you have to be look for signs. Mine came over the weekend. 1) As I was packing for a weekend trip to the country for some self reflection and for some hard core, much needed cycling, my ironman wisconsin swim cap reappeared, even though I thought I lost it. It made me smile and think about that very happy day of my life. And it was just a year ago. 2) Rob sent me a text and encouraged me to blog again, just as I was thinking about my blog. 3) My best friend's mother sent me the sweetest card and embroidered cross to carry in my wallet. Thank you Edie! Ryan is lucky to have you as his mother! 4) Today, while out on my bike, I received the kindest blog comment from a reader. MIND YOU I have not received a comment in MONTHS. Who reads blogs that are on hiatus, much less comments? Now if this isn't a sign, I'm not sure what is. Here's an excerpt: "I think reading your blog helped me find that person I always was. Take care and God Bless" To that blog reader, thank you for your kind comment. I am deeply humbled and I will have you know, it gave the emotional lift I needed to get through the latter half of my 50 mile ride today. I teared up. Really, you have no idea how touched I was. Things happen for a reason. There are no accidents in life. And thank God there were no pinkgurugal style accidents over the weekend.

I have not been training lately. I have not been running. And I have hardly been swimming. But this weekend, I needed to ride. And ride I did.

199.75 KM

9:01:43 HOURS

That is the actual reading on my Mavic from 3 days of riding. Don't ask me to do the math, but I'm guessing it's somewhere around 120 miles or more? As for the hours, give or take 30 minutes, and I think it's the actual time I spent riding. Because I have not been riding, I am really slow right now!

Some people escape through drugs, drinking or partying or heck, even shopping! I escape by heading to the country, finding a fabulous bed and breakfast, and getting on my bike each morning. Because on my bike I pray. I cry. I whine. I smile. I hurt. I process.

I think.

Riding in the country is my therapy. It's familiar to me. It reminds me of good times. And bad ones.

There is nothing better for my soul than gliding through those gently rolling hills with just me, nature and my thoughts.

Mine are all over the place these days.

One thought I had in mind was crash training for the local Ironstar Half Ironman. It's exactly FIVE WEEKS from today. I have not been training, but I can do it... mmmm.. I think.

Well, there is this major back surgery I have scheduled for December, but hey what's one more half ironman a month before that surgery? So what if my lower back shrills in pain every time I run. Nothing a cortisone shot won't do to band aid the problem one more time, right?

AM I CRAZY?

Yes I am. But riding in the country over the weekend made me realize how much I miss training, how much I miss blogging, and how much I needed to get back to both, even at the expense of some serious lower back pain.

I need to get inspired again. I'll talk about school the next time.

Cheers and happy training (to me) !

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller

Blog Bye Bye

2008-07-01T19:39:00.006-05:00

Reflections

Over the last several months, I have blogged about anything and everything, but mostly about my triathlon misadventures. This blog started as a way to track my first Ironman, but then evolved to recording the end of my television news career and eventually tracking my personal life, including some travelling I did shortly after my career departure.

Looking at my past posts, I realized that 2007 proved to be some of the happiest times of my life. Finishing an Ironman was a wonderful accomplishment, but the journey was far better. Especially with friends.

But over the last several months, I have found that while I still enjoy triathlons, I do very little training, choosing my personal life over triathlons.

Therefore, I am taking a BLOG BREAK.

. .

I am not going to be posting for some time, if ever at all anymore.

I have other reasons for not blogging, but suffice it to say I'll be turning my attention to other things.

. .

So I'll still see you out at the local sprint and short distance races, I hope. And perhaps when the time comes I sign up for my next Ironman, Pinkgurugal will return.

In the meantime, I big my fellow bloggers adieu, and of course, blog on. I'll be reading.

. Cheers and happy training!

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while you will miss it."

John Hughes

IM CDA!!!!

2008-06-22T23:07:00.004-05:00

CDA PSYCHED! I still get the chills watching folks finish an Ironman. . . After all, we are talking about that esoteric blood sweat, tears and emotions that go into finishing one of those seemingly impossible feats. Tonight, I had the privilege of watching fellow blogger and local friend Trigreyhound finish!!!

I was elated and inspired watching Trigreyhound finish his second IM hand in hand with his daughter.... I have tears in my eyes. I know, I'm a sap. . . Don't laugh because i am talking throughout his finish... . . CONGRATS TGH! See you in houston! THANK YOU FOR INSPIRING ALL OF US!! . . . I know i don't train much these days, but i am still exhilarated about the whole experience. If you have finished an ironman, you know what i mean.

If you are on the road, you WILL know.

TGH... YOU ARE AN IRONMAN !!!!

Cheers and happy training!!!

Cougar Contemplations

2008-06-18T22:11:00.007-05:00

Ironbabe Jane has been nagging me to post something, even though not a whole lot has been going on in my life Training Update Mmmmm...what's that? I have to put myself in the "working out" category these days, though I must admit to that Ironman itch after watching IM CDA online (see previous blog...where i am mmmmm... a bit too happy to watch Trigreyhound finish... let's just say some late night spirits were involved) . . . . . Anyhoo, I did sign up for another sprint tri this weekend, the Eastside sprint triathlon. Kelly and I raced in this one a few years ago. All I can remember is much roadkill and lots of sun during the swim. . . . Hopefully for this one pinkgurugal will go to bed early and refrain for those spirits (also see previous blog for this insider's reference) . . . So what have I been doing? Outside of waking up, working out and running errands, during this life of leisure I did manage to get accepted to graduate school. . . . Career Coming out . . . You might recall that late last year when I quit my career with no real plans other than to take some time off and travel, I had no idea what I was going to do next. . . I just knew and trusted that everything would work itself out. . . So ten or so months after that leap of faith, I ave a new career game plan. . . Social Workings . . The do gooder in me has decided that what makes this gal happiest is helping others. As ironic as it may seem, the most memorable reporter moments for me involved families in need getting help, or providing a voice to the poor or underprivileged. . . So come August 21st, I will officially be a social work graduate student . . And to be honest, making this decision wasn't something that was even well thought out. I actually feel it was inspired. . . I mean, I literally woke up one morning, looked online and noticed the application deadline had passed!

. So there I was, scurrying to get everything together: application , 3 essays, transcripts, letters of reccommendation... take the GRE test.... I was able to get my application into the school within three days.

. .

I only share that portion of that story because that seems to be a consistent theme yet blessing in my life, and that is acting on impulse, yet knowing it's the right decision.

. .

I'm really looking forward to learning again, to doing something completely different from what I had been doing.

It's not glamorous. And I certainly am not doing this for the money. But I think the rewards reaped when one can help others are priceless.

And that means something. Cheers and happy training!

Tejas Race not so Ready

2008-06-11T16:33:00.011-05:00

. Over the weekend Pinkgurugal got back into the tri spirit to race in the Tejas triathlon. . . This is a special race for me for plenty of reasons. . . . 1) I like this race course. . . . 2) It was my first triathlon race EVER three year agos, so reflecting on my "progress" is a neat feeling..... . . you know.... stuff like: how nervous I was because it was my first ever open water swim, how I rode a kids trek bike back then (really!) how I watched others in the transition area to figure out what the hell i was doing...and blah blah blah.... . . 3) My buddy Christine raced with me. . . .

This is really special, because Christine and I started doing triathlons together three years ago...

She took a few years off, and I went on to continue racing over the last few years.

But for the Tejas tri, we were reunited...."and it feels so good..."

. . . Okay, peaches and herb moment aside (get yer mind outta that gutter), Tejas proved to be another first for me....

Racing after after THREE hours sleep and drinking mucho bloody mary's and vodka grapefruits. . . . .

I present you the culprit and enabler of my social drinking problem. . . .

Not that Rob and I partied on the eve before Tejas, but it's just so hard to turn down another drink after the first...and second...and third...especially in the comfort of your own home.

I think I even drunk blog commented Tarabay at 1 am. (Great to also finally meet you btw and CONGRATS on your bling!)

Oh and the prior post was also the product of pinkgurugal gets tipsy and gets type happy.

. Anyhoo back to me and the race.

So when the alarm went off at 5:20am, somehow, I stumbled out of bed. It would be around 6:10am that Christine, Rob and I all depart homebase. Oh and the race starts at 7am.

Still in a fog, I manage to get Christine and me into transition area SIX MINUTES before it closes.

WHEW!

Since our wave didn't start immediately, Christine and I had a few minutes to decompress from the morning mayhem. . . . I was too tired and too hungover to really think about the race. But other than, I'd figure I'd do it. Really, I felt no nerves, after all it was only a 600 meter swim, a 9 mile ride and a 3 mile run, right?

Well, I have to say the race went fine. For the first few minutes of the swim, I thought maybe I'd tire out, but I never did.

Total swim time: 14:18

and 2:23 minutes (per whatever meters avg.)

. . . Here I am hustling outta that duck crap pond!

T1 was fine, I was in and out quickly in 1:32

As for the biking, I decided just to give it my best and go as hard as I could.

Total bike time: 28:27 19mph average

T2 I felt a bit tired getting off the bike, but I still managed to do it in 1:27. . . As for the run, there is no question my lack of running in TWO WEEKS (hey, i was on vacation and I hate running in this heat!) hurt me. I still gave it my all though

Total run time 28:02

and 9:20avg

Total race time 1:13:49

I placed 14th out of 46 in my age group. Sure I could have trained more, slept more and drank a whole hell of a lot less, but then this race wouldn't be so memorable, right?

By this point, you're probably thinking, Wow, how'd she do that and feel fine?

Well, I'm not positive, but maybe the three midol, two tylenol and one vicoden (it's for my bad back in case you'r wondering) helped?

I will say, however, my temporary burst of energy and might all went downhill after we left the race and went to eat.

I wound up yacking my entire everything just as we were pulling away from breakfast.

And I suffered all day by sleeping it off.

Oh, enabling aside, thanks to sherpa Rob for being our cheerleader and photographer. It's nice to have your own personal everything on race day!

Cheers and happy training!

On reeking relationships

2008-06-08T00:57:00.001-05:00

For those of you who come here to read about triathlons and my meager life, STOP NOW! . . . Tonight, admittedly after a few drinks, I am writing about relationships, and one a friend of mine finds herself recently toiling over. So this post is my way of not only venting, but sticking up for my friend. . . . . The Infidelity Ickies . . . . I'm mad for my friend. I'm mad that a boy has gotten her into a downward emotional mess, that in a a tearful eye, she comes undone when talking about him. . . . . And I'm mad that this boy blogs like everything is perfect in his life, but in truth, he has cheated on his wife and had been stringing my friend on for the last several months...sending her nice emails, presents, etc. . . . . She met him through blogging. He first began commenting on her blog. Then she, his. Then comments turned into emails, then phone calls, then... well you get it. . . . . My friend had been so sad and depressed she's having a hard time functioning. I know, it takes two to tango, but if hers is heartache.... what are his consequences? . . . She's the one who has to peel herself off the floor, while he goes back to his life with his wife and kids. . . . . So there is this part of me that wants to expose Mr. Cheater for the sake of my friend. It would be very easy. She has pictures. She has some of his stuff. She has emails. It wouldn't be hard to figure out where he lives. . . . . If you are thinking fatal attraction by now, I get that. But these are just thoughts after all. We all have thoughts... doesn't mean we act on them. . . . . . . . I just hate seeing her, or anyone else for that matter, so unhappy. . . . Oh and to make matters worse, just around the time this boy was breaking up with my friend, he started leaving flirtatious comments on another woman's blog, just like he had started doing with my friend!! . . . . For now, I spend time with my friend and listen. That's all I can do, be a shoulder to cry on and listen, even if it's ad nauseum (in her words). . . . . I know, I'm throwing stones at Mr. Cheater. Maybe he's battling his own demons but has to mask them for the sake of his family. . . . . But this is about my upset friend. And i'm on her side. . . . . Again, I'm just venting. Of course, I'm dying to play psycho friend on him and expose him, but writing this is good enough.

Swim Stinkies and Blog Worthies

2008-06-04T11:38:00.008-05:00

TWIN LAKES LAMENT . . . Since I am signed up for a sprint tri this weekend, and since my girlfriend Christine has decided to race in it as well, she invited Jane and me to head to Twin Lakes for an open water swim. I was looking forward to it, until we showed up. . . .

. . . The lake was at least two feet below its normal water levels, and since it's already shallow, swimming the perimeter was out of the question. Sand could be seen jutting out of the water all around this tiny 900 meter perimeter lake. . . . This was a real bummer, because that meant we could only swim out and back in the middle of it. Oh, and low lake level waters exposed some questionable stuff. . . . . . . . INSERT BITCH SESSION HERE . . . There are many things I like about living in Houston, like the cost of living, the friendliness of the people, the good eats and my great network of friends and family....and blah blah blah.... But a town for the fitness enthusiast Houston is NOT. . . . Training for triathlons in Houston really blows, and Twin Lakes is a perfect example. , , , . . . It's the only open water swim location in the entire Houston area. It's at an RV park about 30 minutes south of the city.

There is a submerged bus in the lake's bottom, among other things I suspect. To swim you gotta pay five bucks.

And these tadpole looking things freakishly take a nip at you when you get in. And did I mention the questionable stuff around the lake?? . . . So why swim here? Because, ITS THE ONLY OPEN WATER SWIM LOCATION IN THE HOUSTON AREA! . . . Oh, and I won't even get started on the lack of bike lanes, the unfriendly drivers, the oppressive summer heat.... and I really could go on and on about how my fellow triathletes and me suffer. . . . But yes, I call Houston home...for now... and we here in Houston make the most of it, even if we don't have a lot to from which to make. . . . Friends make things so much better. . . .

. . . Okay, back to being positive me. . . . . Blog Buddies . . . And finally, here's a quick toast to fellow blog buddies Trigreyhound and Ironbabe Jane. . . .

Jane is recovering from injuries sustained after she was struck by a car while riding in the country. It was quite a scare for her, her bike was totaled, and the accident has forced her to bow out of Ironman Austria. In spite of it all, she is in good spirits.

Then there's uber studly fellow blogger Trigreyhound.

In a few weeks, we will all be watching from our internet to watch him finish Ironman CDA.

I first met Kendall at IM Wisconsin and have been an avid reader of his blog

His posts are witty, inspiring, and thoughtful, and it was really good to catch up with him.

You go TGH! You're going to do GREAT!

Cheers and happy training!

"The sun is always shining behind the clouds"

Leo Buscaglia

Excursions

2008-06-03T14:16:00.006-05:00

What I have been doing the past few weeks:

EATING FISH EYEBALLS

HANGING OUT IN SAN FRANCISCO WITH SEA LIONS....

AND WITH MY BEAU AND BUDDIES.....

HIKING WITH GALPAL SUSAN IN NAPA

PRIVATE WINE TASTING TOUR WITH SUSAN

SWIMMING WITH ALLY

NURSING IRONBABE JANE BACK TO HEALTH

SHARING A MOMENT WITH MY BFF RYAN

TRIATHLON TRAINING.... NOT!

Cheers and happy training!

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love."

Sophocles

Triathlon Transition No No's

2008-05-21T23:58:00.001-05:00

Fodder for any budding triathlete! Cheers and happy training!

Spectating Spectacle Part Two

2008-05-20T17:00:00.003-05:00

Crit Cred . . . . So on Sunday, I not only watched a triathlon... but after the race, Rob and I rode into the city to watch the Houston Grand Crit races. . . .

Now i'm not a roadie, but I think in criterium races, cyclists go all out for forty minutes to an hour? . . . .

In downtown, the riders did loops around Allen Parkway for an hour. We were there to support our friend Philip . . . .

We weren't the only ones in the Philip fan club.

Rob was tired from the morning's race. . . . .

Congrats to Phil and all the racers out there. Ya'll are animals!

Cheers and happy training! . . . "If you always give, you will always have" Chinese proverb

Spectating Spectacle

2008-05-19T15:04:00.012-05:00

I've raced in dozens of triathlon races, but I have never watched one as a spectator. That changed on Sunday, when I headed south to the ....

Silverlake Sprint Triathlon

. . . . Contrary to belief, I don't always have to be the center of attention. I am glad to let someone else take that reign. For the Silverlake Sprint triathlon (comprised of a 400 meter swim, a 10 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run), that would be Rob. . . . .

What a fan club he had for this race: his two sons, our friend Joe and me. And lucky him for having me help him pack all his race stuff the prior night. Heck, when I first started in triathlons I had no clue what I was doing! . . . . . . . . . Rob's Race Report . . . . . Since Rob swam throughout his life and in college, swimming is his strongest suit. He proved his swimming worth by coming first out of the water in his age group. We all watched and cheered him on as he got out of the water in 6:31. Not bad for a 44 year old! . . . .

Now his transitions are another thing.

Still new to the sport, Rob enjoys taking his time. More on Rob's transitions in a moment, but first. let's talk about the ...

Bike

This is where Rob's work in progress kicks in. He is very new to biking. He just started cycling a month ago, and just yesterday, did we finally put a computer on his bike. Happy to report though, he is getting stronger and may finally beat this 11 year old boy at the next race. I'm kidding of course! Rob finished the bike in a 31:38. Running Robbie Rob is a solid runner. I told him to go all out, since it was a short course race, to which it appeared he listened. Of course, leave it up to me to run out of memory on my camera at the last minute. This is the only shot of Rob I have of him coming through the finish chute. He's on the far right in the blue spandex. total run time: 23:01 . . . .

. .

Rob's Total time: 1:05:42

Okay, back to those transitions: T1 : 2:42 / T2: 1:53

.So Rob probably could have shave about 3 minutes off his time had he hustled a little bit more in the transition area. But hey, it was just his second race.

Anyhoo, I am very proud of him. Rob came in 5th in his age group and the most important thing...he liked it.

. .

I'm also very proud of my BFF Ryan, who finished in 56 minutes!!!

. Congrats to the two best looking men at the race!!!

. Cheers and happy training!

"A light heart lives strong."

Wiliam Shakespeare

Here's to Boys!

2008-05-18T22:26:00.005-05:00

Sometimes we have to take a break from training for girltime to say... Cheers to Boys!

.Tonight, we kidnapped Ironbabe Jane from her home. I was more than happy to do it. It not only meant Jane and I could do that girl thing, but it also meant the return of....

Pinkgurugal's yummy guilt free sugar free margarita..

. .

mmmm..... good to the last sip.....

Yes, we love boys!

Cheers and happy training!

I like Bike to work

2008-05-17T15:17:00.004-05:00

Bike Banter . . . Even though I am mmmm.... not working, on Friday I participated in the City of Houston's Annual Bike to Work Day. About 100 people ride from Memorial Park to city hall in this event. . . . Last year, I participated as not just a rider, but a reporter. . . This year, I am just a rider. And because I am no longer a reporter, I can say this: it's kind of a dog and pony show that promotes biking to work. Because anyone who knows the city of Houston knows we are soooooo behind the bike friendly eight ball. Rude drivers, lack of bike lanes, uneven, potridden roads... who would want to put their lives at risk? . . . Anyhoo, I still enjoy this day of camraderie, notwithstanding the feigned attempt at getting Houstonians to save the environment and bike to work. . . . I particularly enjoy seeing some of my police officer pals. Go Sgt. Rory! . . .

And of course, my BFF Ryan.

Somewhere in this pack is Houston's Mayor.

Kid's don't try this at home. I call this "kodak moment" while riding. I do it all the time.

Officer Escort

I am a big fan of the men and women in blue. And they are a big fan of pinkgurugal.

Here I am posing with Houston's finest in front of my home. These officers happily escorted me back to my home after our dog and pony show. There's nothing like police escort along busy streets. I wonder what the neighbors were thinking?

Cheers and happy training!

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.".

Eleanor Roosevelt

Have Road Will Ride

2008-05-15T17:47:00.003-05:00

Gurus Gone Ridin . . One of the luxuries of being on career sabbatical is being able to ride on a weekday. It's nice to be able to head to the country with a friend to do an easy 50. What's even nicer is the ability to pack two bikes in a truck so easily. Look Mom, the tiniest GURU bikes ever built! . . . . . . Since Ironbabe Jane is in her waning weeks of IM Austria, this is the kind of riding she needs. I need this to keep my sanity. Only crazy people take self photos while on a bike. Here I am showing off my new 8 dollar sunglasses purchased from the local convenient store. . . . .

I'm kinda surprised Jane still likes me, given I convinced her to sign up for IM Austria, then bailed for blah blah reasons. . . All told, today's ride was quite ideal. Here we are, in mid May, in what is supposed to be the beginning of the summer sizzle deep in the heart of Houston, Texas. . . . Instead, Jane and I enjoyed a cool, overcast day. By the time we got to the country, the rain had moved south. We didn't get wet, and the roads were not too terribly slick. There was plenty of tailwind, and there was little traffic. . . . . . . One of the beauties of riding on a weekday. .

I did my good deed of the day by pushing a turtle off the road, even though I think he was dead.

We also saw an unusually high number of vultures. Jane swears she saw a coyote with one of the packs and had a "holy shit" moment (she was recently attacked by a dog). . . . I relished in a small stretch of the road Jane characterizes as velvet. Somewhere around mile 36, the road becomes smooth to uber smooth. I think that stretch was recently repaved. . . I wish all roads were velvet. . . Cheers and happy training! . . . "Life is a series of moments, to live each one is to succeed" Corita Kent

A massage moment and Cycling Cents

2008-05-14T16:22:00.005-05:00

Accident Update . . Even though I didn't think my bike accident was all that bad, my back disagreed. Over the last few days, I have had pain in both my lower back and my neck. I think when I went down I must my poor back took a pounding . . Anyhoo, I called my good friend and massage therapist Cheryl to the rescue. . . Here she is looking as beautiful and warm as ever. . . . . . . Because Cheryl is also a good friend, unlike most massages where I just want to shut up and let the therapist do their work, getting a Cheryl massage allows me time to catch up with her. . . . Turns out, her clients include blog buddies Trigreyhound and Kathleen and several other local triathletes. I guess word travels quickly when you find a good therapist. . . Isn't Cheryl great guys? Yep, she digs deep into my lower back muscles and really works my tightness out. So much that I am usually squealing like a pig on her table. It's that hurts so good kinda' pain, ya know what I mean. . . And with the tri season in full swing, Cheryl says she's pretty busy with her steady stream of athletic regulars. Yes, triathlons keep massage therapists like Cheryl busy. I guess that means we're good for business.

. Collision Costs

. . Recently Rob sent me something he came across in one of his legal mumbo jumbo things (I don't know what lawyers read). . . . Anyhoo, it lists court awarded costs given in recent Bicycle accident cases around the country (in case you were wondering) :

. .

$12.5 million - cyclist struck and killed when driver veered into bike lane. . $2.8 million - cyclish suffered crushed arm, lacerated spleen, several fractures . $916K - cyclist's leg was run over

. $85k - "simple" crash with motorist.

Hmmm.... so if I die I'm rich, if I'm mamed I become a millionaire, and if some idiot hits me, then I have enough money to take some time off, take a few vacations, and buy a new bike or two.

I'd like to choose none of the above, but of course, that's out of my control.

Be careful out there boys and girls.

"The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell and hell of Heaven."

John Milton

50 miles is fun

2008-05-12T11:42:00.004-05:00

Back on the bike * * On Saturday morning, Rob and I and a group of friends headed east for the annual Columbus ride. Even though clear and sunny skies were forecasted, it was an overcast, cool morning. * * *

That was nice, though there was mucho headwind, which made fifty miles seem longer.

Our group made the ride a leisurely one, stopping about three times to refill or eat a banana.

I was proud of Rob, since this was his first fifty mile ride. * *

Everything was going fine, albeit the head wind, until the last five miles.

I took my first spill of the year, and I think the worst one I've had.

Bike Boo Boo

These road rash injuries were sustained while I was making a left turn onto another country road.

Unbeknownced to me the road was actual filled with gravel. * ** It looks worse than it feels, but here's what was going through my mind as I was sliding onto the pavement. * *

1) SHIT! who saw me? 2) Is my bike okay? 3)Oh no, did I tear my ironman jersey?

I think Rob was more concerned about the blood oozing down my leg than me.

I'm just grateful that the bike is okay, and that the jersey didn't tear, and that the only person who saw the spill was Rob. * Cheers and happy training!

Photo Opps and Reluctant Riding

2008-05-06T12:34:00.009-05:00

Ironstar Appearance --- For the 838 people who raced in CB and I triathlon last weekend, you may have noticed a postcard advertising the local Ironstar half ironman distance race inside your schwag bag ---- I didn't, but Rob did. Look who he saw. --- --- I had to take a second and third glance at this one, because..... could they have picked a worse photo? Even Rob thought I looked like a sea lion coming out of the water.

---

--- Back on the Bike --

-- It's good to be riding long again. Last Friday Ironbabe Jane and I packed our GURUs into her nifty new mini SUV and headed west for a two hour ride. -- -- --

- -

Jane yelled at me for taking this shot of her. Photo taking while riding is probably worse than driving while texting. Anyhoo, I did stop. But not before I tried to take a shot of this.

- -

You can't see em, but Jane and I were getting pelted by millions of lovebugs! I mean millions! - - It was a nasty ride. Thank God Jane and I aren't girly girls, otherwise, this ride would have ended before it began. - - Yep, it's love bug season in good 'ole Texas, and as we rode, the lovebugs kept coming...into our hair, eyes, mouth, legs....

- I don't think lovebugs are so cute anymore.

- -

Alter Ego

-- -

- Now if I thought that postcard shot of me was bad, check out pyscho pinkgurugal at the pool. - - -

- -

Boys will be boys

Just another beautiful day at the club pool.... - - Cheers and happy training!

"Find a need and fill it" Henry J. Kaiser

CB and I Synopsis

2008-05-04T20:40:00.009-05:00

Finally my First! The weekend culminated with my first sprint triathlon race of this "season"... I say that in quotations because I'm not sure how much of a "season" it will be for me, given 1) I dropped out of Ironman Austria (although I actually had thoughts of getting back on that wagon ... it's 11 weeks aways???) 2) I'm not hardcore training 3) I'm signing up for races as I go Anyhoo, the CB and I sprint triathlon comprises of a 500 meter swim, a 15 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run. This was the first time I got to race in this one, since every year it falls on a Saturday morning, and for the last several years, my Saturday mornings have been spent anchoring the local news, which by the way, I honestly sooooo don't miss. I can't tell you how much I appreciated being able to do this sprint triathlon. Reader's Digest Race Report Just like almost every local race, CB and I's open water swim was in the man made duck pond. There were 73 women in my age group, and like all races, the beginning was a free for all. After getting pushed, kicked, dunked and all that normal swim stuff, I got out of the water after around 12 minutes 45 seconds, ran to my bike and was off. No real worries on the bike, the weather was perfect, and there was little wind to speak of. But I must admit, since I am not in as great a shape as last year several people passed me up. Total bike time: 47 minutes, 18.9 mile average Then there was the run. Truthfully speaking, I have hardly run at all this year. Most of my time has been spent on either the bike or the pool... I mean, what little time I have devoted. I felt pretty slow and winded, but then an angel showed up. A race colleague I had not seen since last year ran up to me. So instead of huffing and puffing, we both enjoyed our race by chatting about life and relationships... ya know, the kinda stuff chicks talk about. A volunteer yelled at us that to stop talking, that this was a race. To which I indignantly replied "WE"RE HAVING FUN!!!" Because isn't that what it's about? I was so happy to see my girlfriend. Our total run time: 29:22, 9:25 mph pace Total time: 1:32:48, 24th in my age group of 73. I was happy. Oh and I think I'll place marginally better since I am now in that 35-39 female age group. I'll take it! I was also VERY PROUD of Rob for finishing his first complete race!! RACE ROB RACE!

Here he is coming out of the water, the 7th person in his age group

Not bad for someone who hasn't been competitively since he swam in high school and college!

TRIATHLON TRAGEDY

On a sadder note: A fellow triathlete died during this race, unbeknownced to many of us out there. Word is he was found floating in the water, and kayakers had to pull him out. Here's the link to the story in the paper.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5753436.html

My former employer also learned of the story, so I connected them with a fellow triathlete who actually tried to rescucitate the poor fellow after kayakers pulled him from the water. The story made the 6pm news that evening. http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080503_tnt_triathlondeath.c604a8f5.html It's always sad when this happens, but isn't it strange that most racers had NO IDEA this happened. I mean, his swim wave was before mine (he was 51 years old), and we just kept swimming. I mean, i guess you can't cancel an entire race just because there was an accident. But there wasn't even a mention of it at the post race party or awards ceremony? I happened to find out because my friend was there. At that point I was having my congratulatory 9am beer and scarfing down breakfast tacos. Sad and Surreal. Say a prayer for his family. "To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive" Robert Louis Stevenson

Threesomes

2008-04-21T23:49:00.005-05:00

Self Respecting Ruminations Without being too teribly egocentric, I must admit: I like myself. Not in a self centered, arrogant kind of way. Not in the kind of "I love to talk about myself" kind of way. But in the kind of self appreciation that comes after years of being that nerdy, awkward kid who was never asked to school dances and who was teased because of her... 1) vertically challenged dimension 2) unruly eyebrows 3)big pouty lips In life, so many things come in threes. And in my life, it's not just in my nascent inadequacies. But is it a coincidence that I fell into doing triathlons, something that has changed my life and can be credited with my sense of self empowerment? Whoever coined the adage "Three times is a charm", I'd like to say I'd agree. Because much to pinkgurugal's delight, I have another "threes" under my belt. Three times over the last year, if you happen to be thumbing through those free fitness magazines (I'm not certain anyone really reads them) ... inside you will find me unsuspectingly striking one of my many tri poses. Magazine Mugs Here I am cycling my heart out. Only this was taken a few years ago. Notice the bad aero position. Recently this shot showed up in one of those local health and fitness magazines. I'm not sure which race this was. I think it was last October's Ironstar Half. I know I look like I'm okay, but in reality, I recall I was cursing myself getting out of that cold, rocky Lake Conroe water. Then, in just the last few weeks, someone showed me this photo. I think this was the Thanksgiving Day Turkey trot. I look happy. I smiled. Actually, I always smile when I see a camera. It's my way of not taking myself so seriously and to remember I am doing this because it's fun

I didn't get paid for these photos. And admittedly, I am far from being a competitive triathlete. I just like doing them. They are fun. And they make me feel good about myself. And I am an endorphin junkie.

And this is payback.

Cheers and happy training!

"If you cannot change your fate, change your attitude." Amy Tan

The Return of Country Riding and the Red Allez

2008-04-14T13:46:00.007-05:00

Comfort in the Country Here in good ole' Houston, the weather has been nothing short of fabulous. Highs in the mid 70's, lows in mid 60's, sunny....you can't beat it right now. So feeling that long distance riding itch, on Friday I headed to the country for an easy 50 miler. It had been a few months since I had ridden these roads, and I missed that feeling of being on your bike for hours on end and thinking about nothing and everything. It was good to be back on my bike. For the first hour of my ride, I listened to my ipod (bad me!) and just focused on riding again. It was windy and there was plenty of headwind, but I simply took things easy. How fast I was going I have NO clue, since my damn cateye is broken (damn I really hate this thing) and I need to take it in to get another one or have one of the Sugar Cycles guys look at it. In some ways though, it was nice not being a slave to speed and cadence. I mean, I'm not training for anything in particular. And I was riding to clear my head and be in my thoughts. After an hour I ditched the music and took in the scenery. I saw the usual number of roadkill and familiar landmarks. Then I thought about all the times I had trained for last years ironman using this country route. This ride is not just familiar to me, but it's also personal. I've prayed on this route, I've cursed this route, I've almost gotten killed on this route. Heck, most all of my long rides have been on this country route. I was on my bike for three hours. Plenty of time to obsess in your thoughts. I was sore, tired and plain hungry when I finished. But these were also familiar feelings. And in a strange sort of way, I took comfort in these pangs.

Again, I'm really glad I'm back on my bike.

I'm also happy to announce the return of Red Allez. Red Allez Alas Actually, not my fellow anti blogger. But Rob's new bike, the Red Allez. He needed one for many reasons. 1) He's with me and to be with me, you need to have a bike. 2) Riding is cool and fun and better than going to the malls and shopping 3) Oh, and I signed him up for his first sprint triathlon in May Saturday we took his shiny new bike out for a spin. I'm not ready to take him to the country in traffic until he feels comfortable. He did fine, considering he hasn't ridden a bike save for spin class at the gym.

I think Rob is such a hottie.

Great weather, a return to riding and a new biking buddy.

Life is good. Cheers and happy training! "Nothing is worth more than this day" Goethe

Tri-ing in Vain

2008-04-07T23:05:00.005-05:00

Much has changed in the life of Pinkgurugal.

Among those changes, my triathlon love affair.

This time last year, I had already completed a half ironman and was getting into high gear for my full Ironman training romance.

This past weekend, I finally took my bike out of the bike box. It was left in there during my travels.

It's not that I have been an absolute slug. But in truth, I'm just not in the triathlon spirit

While many of my tri colleagues kicked off their 2008 tri race season with the local Lone Star race, I was busy obsessively cleaning my house. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love to clean. Musta' have been a maid in a past life.

Anyhoo, after five weeks of travelling, LOTS of eating and a half assed attempt to train again, the other day..... I finally got on the scale.

Good news.

I think I gained just a few pounds. I thought I had gained 5 or more.

But I am feeling kinda soft.

I know, I shouldn't complain. But isn't that what we as women do? We're never happy with our bodies, no matter what anyone says.

Rain is threatening our skies today. I was thinking about going on a ride.

Maybe I'll skip and take a pilates class.

Cheers and happy training!

"He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger."

Japanese proverb

Winds of Change

2008-04-05T00:23:00.002-05:00

Coming Clean There are several changes to the Pinkgurugal blog, including this confession: I dropped out of Ironman Austria. So I edited my profile, deleted the IM Austria countdown, among other things. Actually the decision was made months ago, prior to my travels. Though I failed to change it on my blog. My reasons for laying off on my Ironman training obsessions of 2007 are quite simple and complex: I am prioritizing my personal life. Meaning, I now have a flowering life outside of triathlons and when I want to take a day off, I do it. And I did that for many days during my time in Vietnam, since I was staying with my very Vietnamese family, whom I did not want to offend by leaving them to "work out". Not culturally correct. Not to mention, I let go of that obsession with little or no guilt. So does that mean I won't race in triathlons? Nope. Signed up for one next month already. And still plan on riding and running (though that nagging knee pain for the marathon continues to elude me). Just not an ironman. A good friend once told me ironman training destroys families and relationships. Now he was kidding, but there is a grain of truth in it. And that's the last thing I want to do at this point. Maybe my life has changed. Maybe my priorities are different. A year ago this time, I just finished my first half ironman and started my 2007 ironman training season. This year, I skipped that race, and tonight, had nine friends over for dinner. And I was just as happy, if not more. Cheers and happy training! "If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold onto." Lao Tze

I AM HOME

2008-04-01T23:35:00.004-05:00

And it has been hectic. And I have been back to obsessively cleaning my home. And I just plain have not wanted to write after my FIVE weeks away from home. I feel fried both skinwise and emotionally from my travels! 'Nuff' said. 'Mo' later. Cheers and happy training!

Sightseeing

2008-03-19T02:57:00.004-05:00

I have taken many a video clip during this trip. Here's a fun one...

Cheers and happy training!

Island Excursions

2008-03-18T07:09:00.007-05:00

Tour Guide Time On this, the week before I return home, I am happily playing tour guide to Rob on Saipan, an island I will always consider my second home. Since his arrival, we have had a great time. Following his immediate introduction to Saipan on Sautrday morning with his first triathlon, we have been taking in all that Saipan has to offer. From World War Two landmarks like the last command post, where the Japanese retreated as the u-s allies made their attack....

To Saipan's most somber sight, Suicide Cliffs, where thousands of Japanese soldiers and civilians jumped to their deaths following surrender....

Being a tour guide is a lot of fun. Transportation? Mountain Bikes.

Green Flash Me

If you plan to visit a tropical destination, you must be on the lookout for the "green flash" sunset. I referring to the flash of green that sparks after the sun sets over an ocean horizon.

Now I have watched many sunsets on Saipan, but I can only attest to seeing a handful in the two plus years I lived here. Conditions have to be near perfect, meaning the sunset has to be devoid of clouds.

So as things looked ideal, I decided to have my hand at documenting this "green flash" some consider lore, though I knew as truth.

On Monday, green flashed, ever so appropriately on St. Patrick's Day.

Tuesday night was a teaser. Oh, but it so doesn't matter.

Cheers and happy training!

A Relay Reunion and Saipan Sights

2008-03-16T06:36:00.008-05:00

Crash Course Last Wednesday, following two amazing weeks in Vietnam, I returned to Saipan for the final leg of my trip. Ass early Saturday morning, Rob flew in to meet me. It took him 24 tiresome hours to get here. And when he arrived at 4am Saturday morning....two hours later, sans sleep and apparently loaded on Scotches from his houston/tokyo flight, he was racing in a relay triathlon with me in Saipan. What a sport. Now a 2000 meter swim on any other day would be a no brainer for Rob (he swam competitively up until college), but try that after flying and drinking all day. So after the first 1000 meters, after looking like he was going to puke coming out of the beach, I finished the next 1000 meters and proceeded for my 37 mile bike ride. It's Saipan. And this was no USAT race. A relay is a relay, whatever way you want to do it. Rules are bent here. So long as we finished. Now I figured the two of us would call it a day after my bike ride (which, by the way felt really good, especially considering I was sooooo not trained!), but when i got off my bike, there Rob was , ready to run 9.6 miles. Only he got "Saipan" lost (meaning the police officer directed him the wrong way) and added another mile and a half to the run. He finished strong! Congrats to our first relay triathlon together, and to teamwork! Home sweet home Part of my island tour with Rob is to show him my old living quarters. While it was quite simple, it was also quite idyllic. He agreed.

Cheers and happy training!

"Perserverence is a great element of success. If you knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Saigon Send off

2008-03-12T09:10:00.008-05:00

Birthday Bash Saigon Family Style

My final day in Saigon also happened to be my birthday. At midnight, March 10th, Saigon time, I was also on the phone with Rob, so I received my first birthday well wish. That was nice. Saigon time is 13 hours ahead of Texas time.

Now, I have never been one big on birthdays. Something to do with the celebrating yourself thing has always felt a bit strange. And as ironic as this seems, the center of attention part and adoration from others also feels wierd. I know, I worked in TV news for years. It's part of the reason I got out.

Having said that, my Saigon Vo family insisted on throwing a party. So that morning, Uncle Thanh got all the goods, including food, drinks and chairs, and by 7pm, all of my aunts, cousins, etc gathered at the house to feast and celebrate. He’s so awesome.

I had originally offered to take everyone out, but since my grandmother is too weak to leave the house, I’m glad we decided to have this family gathering at home. I didn’t want to put any of my relatives out, so I paid for the feast. I gave him about 95 dollars. That fed 20 people! The following

I can’t even remember the last time I had a birthday party like this. Maybe childhood??

Now, I have learned a lot about my Vo family on this trip, but I also learned something HUGE about me. I’m a younger woman than I thought.

34 not 35???

Yep, according to my uncles I was born on March 10th 1974, NOT 1973! So that would make me 34 and NOT 35. (Although in Vietnamese custom one’s birthday occurs at conception, meaning I’m a few months shy from being "35").

How could that be?? Well, when my parents immigrated to the US I did not have my birth papers and I guess 1973 was inadvertently written. I plan to have a talk to them about this one.

So comes the dilemma…. should I tell people I’m 34 or 35? Legally, I am 35. Realistically I am 34.

But like Ironbabe Jane, I am officially in another triathlon age group… that 35-39 bracket. Is that a good or bad thing? I’m not sure yet, since I have not signed up for a race lately. Does this mean I’ll be cheating?

I guess I should relish that I am a year younger. That means I graduated from high school at 17, not 18, and college at 20, not 21 (I was one of those nerdy 3 year plan students). Oh I was drinking, as Rob so aptly pointed out, at 20 not 21.

And no wonder I’m not wrinkling yet. :)

Airport Adieu

Saying goodbye to my Saigon family was kind of rushed. At the airport, I had a small ticketing issue, so it was quick

Maybe it was good. I probably would have cried had I more time to say goodbye. I was joined by three uncles, my Aunt Thuy and a few cousins.

I like to say there are no goodbyes. I’ll see them again soon enough.

I’m heading back to Saipan, via Manila. I’m looking forward to getting in some good,hard workouts. Then Rob comes in Friday night.

Oh yeah, I have a triathlon race this coming Saturday in Saipan.

Rob swims the mile swim, I bike 36 miles, and we’re not sure who will do the 9 mile run. (He’s injured and my knees STILL hurt).

Im sooooo not ready.

Cheers and happy training!

Vung Tau Beach or Bust

2008-03-10T02:34:00.012-05:00

Saigonese Gone Sunning On Sunday morning, my Aunt Thuy, her husband Thanh and Aunt Thu all headed to Vung Tau, a popular beachside community south of Saigon. What is usually a 2 ½ to three hour road trip takes one hour and some change by way of ferry. The ride winds its way through the Port, which oddly, looks a lot like the Port of Houston.

Anyhoo, the ticket costs 140,000 dong , about eight bucks, so at that price, my family had never ridden it. I offered to taken them, since we could all enjoy the day, and it was the quickest way to get there.

Helping Hands On that note, I want to talk a little bit about generosity. In the Vietnamese culture it is understood that family helps family, and that includes everything when it comes to expenses.

If someone gets sick, if someone needs something, then it’s family duty to dole out the dough.

And the wealthier you are, the more you should pitch in. It’s just the way it works.

So while I am soooooo far from wealthy, it’s understood I pay. My mother has been sending home money to her family since they reconnected after the Vietnam War. And since I am here, I have an obligation to give money to each of my mom’s uncles and aunts.

It’s not a lot, but money goes a long ways here.

Currency Caveat

If it seems I am constantly quantifying things I do by cost, it’s because I am. It’s a reality check for me, a reminder of just how spoiled and good we have it as Americans. We take so much for granted.

A dollar here is up to a day’s salary. It’s wierd because I am soooooo far from rich, but here money goes a long ways.

Having said that, today was family day, and the weather was nothing short of perfect.

Getting off at Vung Tau’s port we were greeted by transportation. We jumped onto rickshaws, since they were cost less than a buck to get us to the beach.

We did take a quick pitstop to see the 200 year old whale bone remains. Story is that a fisherman had a a fierce battle with him at sea.

The bones are kept inside the back of a buddhist temple.

Much respect is paid to them as a way to protect the Vung Tau local fisherman

Beach Bankin

Besides being flocked by throngs of tourists, Vung Tau is also a fishing community. More recently it has been deluged by oil tankers. This is where tradition meets modern day capitolism.

Here's the other sign that things are good in Vietnam.

The beach was packed with locals.

I mean, there had to be thousands of Vietnamese people here. It was nice to see that in spite of their everyday living, there does exist recreation time. And semblances of capitalism proliferate these areas. Lottery tickets and KFC?

By the way, I'm told working at KFC is a job that while many in the US would turn their nose on..... it's a coveted one here.

Modern and air conditioned, and up two a whopping 2 US dollars a day? I’ve never met friendlier fast food staff.

Lounging Local Style

Now when it comes to seeing my family, I do as they do. And that means hiding from the sun under an umbrella. Vietnamese women HATE to get sun. Something to do with working in the rice fields...meaning you are poor....

Also, the vietnamese, primarily the women, are VERY conservative. I did not see one woman in a bathing suit swimming. They did sell those bathing suits with skirts, but the water didn’t look inviting anyways.

So lounging at the beach, in the shade, we rested and ate crabs. My family balked at paying 180,000 dong (11 bucks) for two HUGE fresh crabs.

I didn’t. We ordered up a feast. How often can you get these for this price in the US??

Around 3:30 in the afternoon, we headed back to the port, where we would learn the tickets on the ferry were sold out.

So for two uncertain hours, we waited to get on board, hoping there would be no shows.

We BARELY made it after my uncle learned about some scalped tickets being sold on the street corner. I mean, we literally jumped on and the ferry started moving.

When my parents used to live in Vietnam, they would frequent Vung Tau beach on the weekends. My aunt told me some really nice stories about coming here with my them, and how at the time, I was just a tad too young to go.

I thought about them quite a bit on this day.

Maybe I’ll take them here soon.

Cheers and happy training!

"Hue-Ward"

2008-03-08T07:43:00.003-06:00

Going all the Hue At 4:00am Thursday morning, with bags packed, I went on the road, headed for what was supposed to be a 2 ½ hour drive to Nha Trang, where I would hop onto a plane headed to Danang. I needed to head north to Hue to meet up with my Aunt and visit the “north” side of the Vo family, and this was the “quickest” way to do this. My 8 hour journey to the coastal community of Nha Trang was not what I expected, especially since I paid 70 US dollars to have a private driver take me there. The drive was more than my one way ticket to Dalat! So my hike and bike tour guide Tuyen insisted he set up this trip. Major mistake. He failed to mention to my driver I needed to be at Nha Trang’s airport by 7:50am. So my 2 ½ drive turned into 4 hours, with my driver speeding like hell on wheels to get there. It was mountainous, bumpy, wet, foggy and downright the scariest drive I have taken. And he was even lost at one point. Luckily I made it to Nha Trang’s airport with 45 minutes to spare. But it was the worst money could buy. And my day was just getting started.

Danang Distress

Landing into Danang, I needed to hire once again another driver to take me to Hue, which was roughly another 1 ½ hour drive. I had it in my mind that the ride would cost me about 40 US dollars…that’s what I had read it on the internet. After leaving the airport, I was immediately accosted by throngs of taxi cab drivers promising that amount. One young man actually promised me 500-thousand dong, which was 31-dollars! Steal! I’m whisked away. Only as we are driving that number goes from 500,000 dong to 670,000. I refused and demanded he take me back to the airport. He then demanded I pay the fare (a buck) but I refused, saying he bilked me. It wasn’t the money, It was the fact that he agreed on one price and in a matter of 10 minutes, changed it twice. So my cabbie kicked me out of his car in the middle of town. I probably stuck out like a sore thumb, standing there sporting a backpack, and a small roller luggage, figuring I would just flag another cabbie. Then a friendly young local on a moped asked me if I needed a ride. At first, I balked. But when it appeared getting a cab on my own would be tough, I hopped on, luggage and all. “How much? “ I asked. “Whatever,” he said. So I agreed. Back at the airport taxi stand, I learned the going rate was more. Then one of the cab drivers suggested I head down the road to get into a shuttle van to head to Hue. Its only 100-thousand Dong ($6.25). No worries. So my moped driver rides me over there, and before I could step off his bike I’m hastily hoisted into a van loaded with locals, pay my fare, and for all of his work, I gave my cyclist 100-thousand dong. He was elated. That’s a day’s work for 30 minutes for him. And for me, it wasn’t first class service but I saved 30-bucks, although I probably wasted an hour in Danang. Seriously, there were 18 people loaded into an old shuttle van suited for 11. But even with that many, the driver and his friend were trying to stuff as more people, screaming out to people as were slowing rolling along if they needed a ride. In Vietnam, money matters by each 1000-dong (7 cents-ish). A US Dollar here goes a long ways. I later learned that fare for locals was around 30-thousand dong, less than 2 bucks. I got the premium rate. Big deal, it was still cheaper than a 40 dollar cab ride. It wasn’t a great ride, what with 18 people packed like Sardines. And the driver was another devil on wheels. But it got me to Hue. Only when I got to the bus station I still needed to get to the airport. That’s where my aunt (who I had flown in from Saigon) and my Hue relatives were going to meet me. At the bus station, I paid 30-thousand dong (about $1.25) to a local man with a moped to take me to the aiport. It was about 6 miles away. Here's a self portrait on that man's moped.

And my long morning of travelling would end when my one of my Uncles and second cousin would take us home, and ironically on mopeds once again. So after nearly 8 hours, after a few close calamity calls, my commute by car, plane, shuttle van and moped would finally end. I’m home. Creature Comforts I’m staying in the heart of the city, much like the Times Square of Hue, at my Aunt and Uncle Binh’s home.

Uncle Binh is the son of my Great uncle Oc. Since I never knew my maternal grandfather, Great Uncle Oc is as close as he gets.

He is my grandfather Vo’s younger brother, making him the oldest Vo family member, and the patriarch of this family. Great Uncle Oc doesn’t just have the sweetest smile, but at 87 years young, he has led a fascinating life. I had some time to bond with him ten years ago, so seeing him was very nice. He was a decorated general for the North Vietnamese Army, serving from the time the French were exiled until 1975 through the Vietnam War, and on that side, victory.

Crazy but true, I have family on both sides, meaning both sides of the Vietnam warfront.

Among other things, my father served as an Army Captain in the South Vietnamese army, and consequently, my family fled Vietnam to escape persecution from the North Vietnamese Army. At that time, my family didn’t know this Vo side of the family, since my grandfather lost touch with his Hue family after moving south to Dalat and ultimately to Saigon to work, marry and raise a family. After the Vietnamese civil war got underway, Grandfather Vo lost all communication with his Hue family. He was working in the south, and his family was all living in the north. Once those borders were drawn in 1956, that was it. I learned during that trip that his many brothers would not learn grandfather Vo died at age 40 in 1960 until 1978, three years after South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam. Crazy but true, it was only then that my mothers older brother would finally get the opportunity to find Grandfather Vo‘s family. My Aunt Thu tells me there was an extremely tearful reunion, and ultimately my grandfather’s ashes would be sent to Quanh Binh, about 3 hours outside of Hue, where dozens of Vo’s are buried, dating back to the 1600’s. Yes that’s more than 4 generations of Vo’s. So that’s the story of how the southern Vo’s reconnected with the Northern Vo’s. An ugly civil war that changed everything kept them apart. The end of that war brought them together, and ultimately, me…here. On the Vo side, my immediately family would be the only ones to immigrate to the u-s. Now I do have a second cousin (we call my uncle) who moved to work in Germany post Vietnam war. Uncle Long is an extraordinary man, going from contract worker busboy to successful restauranteur and hotellier in Deutschland. He apparently shares his wealth to the Vo’s here in Hue, who are all doing extremely well by Vietnamese standards. Truth be told, I harbor no ill feelings against this northern Vo family. If anything, I find their loyalty to family beyond all else quite refreshing.

We speak little of our sentiments about the war . Great Uncle Oc once told me the past is the past. In my family’s case, you really have to put it behind you, otherwise how could you ever get along? And they were nothing but open to the southern Vo’s when they all finally met them, and years later, my mother and me. In fact, I feel right at home, and I am so grateful for that. This visit has centered on family…and a lot of food. I think I tried and ate everything Hue I could. Each morning was breakfast. Then it was lunch. Then we would take a nap. Then we would eat dinner.

The Vo’s were incredibly hospitable.. I loved just lounging and eating. I learned on this trip that theVietnamese not only have a strong sense of family, but they possess great patience.

Not many Americans, in their busy, everyday worlds, can just sit around all day and talk with family. I only had two nights in Hue, and I am remiss I didn’t have more. I wanted to spend some more time with Uncle Oc, but I guess that will have to wait for the next time. I did however, document some of his story…one I hopefully can share with my children. I promised my relatives my next trip here would be sooner than years later. After all, my Great Uncle admittedly doesn’t have a lot of time left in this world. Cheers and happy training!

Dalat's DHL Lagacy

2008-03-08T07:24:00.003-06:00

Larry's Bar On my final evening Dalat, I decided to go head “down into town” (my hotel is on the hill) to check out The Sofitel Dalat Palace Hotel and a bar fondly named “Larry’s Bar” for good reason. Even 13 years after his death, homage is paid to “Larry” for effectively saving this 1920’s high end French hotel from destruction. Larry is credited with also having the vision to put Dalat on the map for foreign travel at a time when Vietnam’s tourism industry was virtually nonexistent. I’m sure he would be very proud to see the fruits of his labor, not just with the hotel, but also with other development projects he had going across Vietnam. I didn’t know Larry, but I know his story all to well. When I lived in Saipan , I used to work for TV station that was part of a holding company in largely owned by “Larry.” He died in May 1995, less than a year before I arrived. But Larry wasn’t just any Larry. He was Larry Hillblom, an eccentric billionaire who moved to Saipan to escape paying Uncle Sam his fortune. You would know Larry as the “H” in DHL He founded it with a couple of buddies in college. Actually, DHL started the air shipping business. There would be no Fed Ex without DHL. The guy’s professional life is impressive. His personal story is wildly interesting…the stuff movies are made of. Apparently Larry had a penchant for young, virgin prostitutes, several of whom would father his children. Larry apparently was not much for condoms. In the end, DNA tests would prove Larry fathered kids from Palau, three from Vietnam and one from the Phillipines. After he died there was a hard fought legal struggle for his estate. He willed everything he owned to UCLA for medical research. But his kids wanted the dough. So after years in a Saipan probate court ….. (insert Chau’s involvement here: young, hungry reporter, interviews parties involved in “Hillblom” case, lawyers, experts and even my “bosses”… can we say conflict of interest?) Larry’s billion dollar estate (that included the Dalat property) was ultimately dissolved, and everyone, including UCLA, the kids, lawyers and parents, got a slice of that billion dollar pie. Oh and how did Larry die? In a plane crash near Saipan. His body was never recovered, so lawyers fought over the mole he had removed following his first plane crash (yep, he survived the first one) , and for some reason, still kept at UCLA. Getting his DNA was key to this. I could go on and on about the zany stories I heard about Larry as well as details of his case (everyone in Saipan had some connection). But suffice it to say if you visit Dalat, come to Larry’s Bar, and you now know.

His story is also spelled out in the menu. But don’t expect to see the darker Larry Hillblom story shared. Cheers and happy training!

Dalat Day 4

2008-03-05T13:14:00.009-06:00

Solo Sentiments Travelling alone has its benefits. Go as you please, do as you may, eat as you want, etc..... It also has its setbacks. You are alone. And today I really felt it. Even though I did have some company today.... today's 5 hour ride around Dalat's picturesque Liang Bian Mountain was spent with my A-OK guide, Tuyen... Outside of that, for the last four days I've been hanging out with primarily....mmmm... me. Not that I get lonely (I really like the person i'm alone with), but today I was feeling a little homesick. See, when I decided several months ago to set out on my world adventures, I didn't expect and to fall in love in the process. It was still important for me to travel, we agreed. But I have also chosen to shorten my stays. I will be apart from Rob for three weeks by the time I see him again.

So I had one of those days when I just couldn't seem to enjoy myself. Even as beautiful as the forest trails were, I couldn't shake it, and Liang Bian mountain just became, unfortunately, another day on the bike. Not to mention it was cold and rainy and my bike was too big, but oh well....

Oh and some of the trail was wicked steep.

Homesick or lovesick or both?

Tomorrow I will be reconnecting with my family in Hue. My alone time is over.

Cheers and happy training!

Oliver Wendell Holmes - “Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.”

Dalat Day 3 and Auspicious Encounters

2008-03-04T05:12:00.018-06:00

Tiger Talk

One of the wonderful privileges about travelling is the people you meet along the way. Today I met Annette and Tuyen.

Annette is an incredibly interesting and engaging woman from Copenhagen, Denmark. Last year she quit her job as a nurse to work for free for three months at a Thai orphanage.

Since her stint there ended in late December, she has been travelling solo exploring Southeast Asia.

Vietnam is her last stop, following time spent in Cambodia and Laos.

After this, she's heading for New Zealand for two months. Europeans are quite the globetrekkers. She's my hero.

Tuyen is a 29 year old college student studying Business at the University of Dalat. He is originally from a tiny farming community in North Vietnam. He graduates in one year. And like many college students, he has a part time job.

Tuyen is a trekking guide for Hardy Adventure tours.

Today Tuyen was matched up with Annette and me. We were the only ones today to sign up for the 19 KM "Tiger Falls" hike.

The nearly 12 mile hike took us up, down and around the La Ba River, which surrounds this 1700 KM high mountain.

Don't ask me to convert this. All i know is that parts of this hike felt high and steep.

Our trek was aptly named "Tiger Falls" (Thac Hang Cop) in honor of a tiger who had inhabited this area three decades ago.

The tribal communities knew him and apparently worked around his feeding schedule.

He lived in this den next to the falls. Then one day he disappeared.

So lore has it he died in the forest. Though I wouldn't be surprised if he was shot and poached.

The Vietnamese are known to hunt anything alive. Not trying to cast aspersions on my peeps, just sayin' that in the past, animal skin has been known to surface at the market.

Anyhoo, to this day, much homage is paid to him.

The trek took us through some neat terrain, including some man-made suspension bridges. Not the safest bridges in the world, but they worked.

Now if you were afraid of heights, you would have been in trouble.

No really, one misstep and you're toast. I'm not so much afraid of heights so no worries.

We also passed several veggie and coffee plantations, owned by the government and harvested by the villagers for a small fee.

Our halfway mark found us picnicking at a along the way. Tuyet fed us yummy french bread sandwiches with cucumbers and tomatoes and laughing cow cheese (French influence). We also had a few pastries which we gleefully nibbled.

Then on top of this mountain we had a short visit with a tribal hill community who call themselves the Lieng Tro tribe.

Only a handful of families live here, and there is no running water or electricity.

So while we spoiled Westerners worry about our manicures and get pissed that our TIVO ran out of space to record our favorite show,

The Lieng Tro people are just concerned about their next meal.

Really. These are not pets. They are being raised, much like chiken are, for supper.

It was quite surreal today, hiking to the top of the mountain , to be greeted by abject poverty.

Afterwards, our trek down began.

Dalat Dine-in Dinner for Two, but for one

Even though I much prefer those dollar dinners served on the streets, I can be quite the recluse when it comes to travelling alone and eating dinner.

The last two nights I have ordered room service. It's astronomically expensive by Vietnamese standards, but a hell of a deal otherwise.

Last night I ordered a 12 dollar feast...a four dollar bowl of soup and an 8-dollar plate of lemon grass chicken and rice plate. Now remember, this is a five star restaurant and the best in town.

Tonight I splurged and ordered the seafood hot pot.

At 20 dollars a person, with a minimum of two people, that's 40 bucks. But nothing else on the menu sounded good, and since my trek cost me just 20 bucks (meals included) I thought, why not?

Oh, it so beat any Fleming's steak.

In this medley included prawns, octopus, clams, crabs, and basa fish, a local favorite.

Not to mention fresh veggies galore.

I was in Vietnamese hot pot heaven.

Actually I have been in Vietnamese food heaven.

This was today's complimentary breakfast at the restaurant.

Vietnamese noodle soup or pho served with a basket of croissants and fresh fruit. Ooh and the coffee!

Whether it be culinary or outsdoors, it comes down to experience. I don't collect things (you should see how little I packed) , but I do hoard experiences.

Hey look teammates, it's a Vietnamese girl in a Sugar Cycles team jersey in Vietnam!!!

Seeing the world..... connecting with people.......

those are the things that count, at least in my world, which right now is not just half a world a away....

but it strangely feels like home.

Cheers and happy training!

"Write in your heart that everyday is the best day of the year." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dalat Day Two and Becoming a Buddhist

2008-03-03T04:32:00.011-06:00

Dawdling in Dalat It wouldn't be until after 2pm that I would leave my hotel compound. Today I woke up ASS early, took an outdoor yoga class by the pool, set up a mountain bike trip for tomorrow, surfed the net, and then I was off into the town square. I noticed this Parislike Eiffel Tower and couldn't resist sharing.

My first stop was to eat lunch at the market.

Only the snail vendors were nowhere to be found. :( Dejected, I went high end and instead ended up at a corner cafe, where I sipped probably the strongest french coffee ever and had a French style ham and tomatoe sandwich, all for a whopping 23-thousand Dong. Doesn't this look like black oil??

I think that's close to $1.50 for lunch rather than the dollar dinner I spent yesterday.

After pulling 2-million Dong out of an ATM (that's about 120 bucks) I hopped into a taxi and headed for a short ride to the mountains, and to Chua Truc Lam, one of the newer pagodas or Buddhist Temples in the Dalat area.

PAGODA PARADISE A neatly manicured complex where monks and nuns live and meditate, this temple was erected in the early 1990s. Apparently there are about 150 men and women who lived here, all of whom have chosen this ascetic life over the one we masses endure. I kind of felt like a tourist paparazzi taking this shot, but hey, it was my first monk sighting here.

I think their job, outside of seeking enlightenment (as I observed), is to keep their place of worship clean and beautiful.

They do a great job. It's quite beautiful and peaceful up here. Look, they even carved topiaries in the form of dragons

I thought there would be an offering somewhere, but I did not see one, nor did I want to ask out of fear of disrespect. Maybe the offering came from the many benches around the estate, which bear the Vietnamese family monikors and their place of origen. I didn't take a picture of it, but one even said Los Angeles!

I was reminded of those front step bricks at Houston's ritzy La griglia restaurant , engraved with the names of Houston socialites who contributed to something related to the restaurant. Or maybe some fund rasing event. Or maybe some clever marketing ploy.

Anyhoo, I say if money is well intended, let those socialites have their fame. Similarly, if the monks need funds to keep this pagoda gorgeous, they can have their benches!

Teacher Talks

At the main pagoda I was greeted by a friendly monk I shall call "Teacher", since that's how you refer to monks in Vietnamese.

Teacher and I spoke for a good 15 minutes about Buddhism and what it means, as well of the art of meditation, something I have tried repeatedly on my own and have failed miserably. "It's all about the clutter in the head and ridding it," said Teacher. "But how do you do that?" I kindly asked. "Start with simply breathing in and out. Just start with ten deep breathes and move from there," he replied. And like an obedient student before her grasshopper, I nodded and promised to at least start making a concerted effort. "Teacher" told me he mediates for SIX HOURS a day. Once at THREE AM, once at noon, then finally from 7-9pm before retiring for sleep. Being the curious bee I am, I also learned "Teacher" moved to Buffalo New York in 1992, but now spends nine months here and 3 months there at temple. And interestingly, he proudly calls himself "An American."

Teacher's Teachings

Teacher told me that being a monk could be perceived as restricting, but it's actually quite freeing.... that if you want to achieve that higher spiritual state, if you want to come back in the next life a higher state of being, then monk/nundom is the chosen path for you. SIX HOURS of solitute, of thinking about nothing, in my head each day? I can't even go for 60 seconds! It seems hardly possible. Then again, so did finishing an Ironman.

Oh in case you are wondering WHY i am not Buddhist, I followed my fathers faith, and that's Catholicism. With the French came Christianity....

Oh, and since I was a 35 year old single woman with no children, why don't I consider becoming a nun? Teacher asked. I almost laughed out loud. Wow. I was being witnessed by a monk!

I feel sorry for my next life. I do howeer, like the idea of meditating more and freeing your mind of poisoning, wasteful thoughts. And breathing. Maybe someday I can return to this temple and thank Teacher for the encouragement.

I leave you with this. Cheers and happy training! "If you realize all things change, there is nothing to try to hold onto." Lao Tze

Dreamy in Dalat

2008-03-02T22:16:00.011-06:00

Dalat Day One My first full day in Dalat was nothing short of perfect. From the weather, to the people, to the food...it was a very good first day. Here's a peek.

After a quick 40 minute flight from Saigon, I arrived into Dalat’s tiny commuter airport, greeted by a friendly driver from my hotel, the Evason Dalat - Ana Mandara This is the second leg of my Vietnam trip. I decided I would rest in the lap of luxury. But as I mentioned in my prior blog, I got a GREAT deal . $320 bucks for 4 nights!

Now I am mindful that it amounts to nearly 5 months salary for the average Vietnamese, and I know I could have stayed at a backpackers hotel…but mmm… I’ve stayed with my aunt, and that’s kind of roughing it.

I’ve been using a hand towel, well actually my flannel pajama pants to dry off, because I didn't want to offend my relatives by asking for a bath towel that doesn't exist in their home.

And on one occasion, we lost water so I showered bucket water style. Not that I minded at all… just sayin….

It was so nice to take a hot shower with unbelievable water pressure. The things spoiled Americans take for granted...

Anyhoo, once whisked to the hotel, I was immediately directed to the Spa, where I indulged in a 2 ½ hour body scrub and massage. My therapist Nhang was AMAZING…I would say a top five in my many years of getting massages. (See prior post about my bad back).

I checked into this amazing room.

The hotel sits along Dalat's hillside overlooking the city and is comprised of 11 Villas, each villa with five suites/rooms , a shared open area and kitchen and a private “butler.” My butler is a sweet, unusually tall young man by the name of Viet, who says he’s on call 24/7.

Following my massage and unpacking, I headed directly to the pool, where I fired up my computer and Skyped with Jessica and Rob. It was good to see and hear from the ones whom I love most. SKYPE HYPE For those of you who haven’t tried, I LOVE Skype. It allows you to talk and see loved ones via internet for free. And Skype’s long distance service rates (calling over the internet) are so much cheaper. Trust me, I cringe to see my T-Mobile bill when I return. A personal family crisis has had me on the phone many, many times during this trip. SO NOT TRI-ANYTHING Okay, so truth be told, I have not worked out in DAYS. In Saigon, I couldn’t very well ask my Vietnamese family to drive me to the park hyatt so I can use their 25 dollar a day gym… that would have been rude. So while at the pool I swam for 20 minutes, the most I could really handle. I just get sooooo bored. At 4 in the afternoon, I headed into the city, about a 2 km walk downhill from my hotel. I know to the locals I looked so OBVIOUSLY tourist, what with wearing an ironman hat, asics running shoes and sporting a backpack. I wandered through the town square for quite some time, probably walking a 10k or more. Dalat’s main drag is quite quaint, with your usual cacophany of street vendors selling anything and everything.

No way though, am I having the streetside chicken.. Something about that Asian bird flu doesnt sound so appealing.

I strolled around, and I decided to I was going to eat street vendor style.

Dalat Dinner

First it was roasted corn I purchased for 4000-dong. That’s about a quarter.

Then I couldn’t resist. I went for the bowl of bun bo hue from a street vendor and sat on a tiny plastic stool at her little tiny plastic table This is a local favorite, made of a tangy beef broth beef , a lump of curdled pig’s blood and plenty of veggies. I lopped it all up.

Dinner price tag? 15,000-dong. That’s a little over 90-cents. And I even tried to “tip” the vendor for giving me some extra ham, like 30 cents extra, but she wouldn’t have it. I was impressed by her pride.

On my way home I splurged. I bought a a bottle of Dalat red wine for 45-thousand dong.

Initially I balked, but then I realized that was less than THREE bucks. Really, when you pay in thousands, it gets confusing. I still have to process everyday at 1.6 million dong equals a hundred dollars

I walked back up the hill and was home by around 6:30pm. WINE WOES AND BACK TO MY WESTERN WAYS

My Dalat double life continued into the evening. Since the Dalat wine was not so yummy, I ordered a 40 dollar bottle from room service.

I wondered what the local kid who brought me the wine must have thought. I tipped him and asked for change, but he didn’t have any.

So I gave him my 3 bucks. I think he was shocked.

Yeah, speaking of that, that’s another one of my many observations. The Vietnamese are not used to being tipped. Even here at this very western hotel, where most of the guests are germans or brits, there is only a 5 percent tipping surcharge.

Net Net

So last night, in my room, for the first time since this trip, I unwound , and the wine put me peacefully to sleep…. Until around 4:30 this morning…

BAD BITES

Even though I lowered the mosquito netting around my bed, one got in. I woke up ass early (like 4am ) with two huge welts near my eye. Let’s pray I don’t get Vietnamese encephalitus.

Breakfast Brewing

Much to my Vietnamese delight, the hotel's free breakfast buffet at the restaurant included bun bo hue! Why eat the eggs and bacon when I can have local food for EVERY MEAL? I'll leave that to the european tourists here at the hotel. It’s Monday morning, another gorgeous day in Dalat, and I need to go check on mountain biking trips. plus i'm heading back into the market because I'm dying to eat steamed snails street side.

I'm loving this Dalat Double Life I'm living....

I could live and die here. Maybe I will one day. Cheers and happy training!

"Take one thing with another, and the world is a pretty good sort of a world, and it is our duty to make the best of it, and be thankful." - Benjamin Franklin

Saigon Summary

2008-03-02T06:45:00.012-06:00

I've been in Vietnam for 4 short days. But I feel like I can write a book about the experience. For now, I'll settle for a blog post. FAMILY OH FAMILY Without question the biggest reason for choosing Vietnam as a travel destination has to do with my family, prioritizing my ailing 81 year old grandmother. Born in 1926 as Ong Thi Thong (last name, middle, then first..that's the way my peeps make name pronouncements), she married my late grandfather, Vo Van pho. Lucid as a whip and still able to climb stairs, she suffers from osteoporosis and cataracts. She can talk to you for hours. In 1940, Grandmother Ong married my handsome grandfather, Vo Van Pho. With "mysteriously" French blood, raised in the days of French Indochina (when the French colonialized Vietnam), he married my grandmother when she was 14. Those were the days. In fact, when she married him (arranged) she thought he was a French man and didn't speak to him for a week. I guess both were too shy to open their mouths. Can you imagine? Sadly, he died of cancer when my mother was just 12. The family had been living in Dalat (where I am currently staying) . My grandmother packed all SEVEN children and headed to Saigon, for what would be a life of hard labor for my mother and my uncles and aunts growing up, and living post Vietnam War era. This is my Aunt Thuy. She's number five in the Vo pecking order, and the Aunt with whom I'm most close. She raised me until I was two, the most she could, since my family fled Saigon and the Vo family stayed behind. She's a teacher, who teaches high school six days a week, and earns wages of about 70 USD. I cringed when she told me the other night how two Vietnamese bills i had been holding was her entire month's salary. That's about the average salary around here. Its not much, but relatively speaking, food is cheap (like you can eat like a king for dollars a day) housing is shared by family, and people chip in if you need a moped or something pricey. She's married to Uncle Thanh, just the nicest man you'll meet. He fixes mopeds and says work is really good. It should be. Just about everyone owns one these days. It's a sign that even though things in Vietnam are far from American standards, shit, I had to take a cold bucket shower because the hot water was off)... it's proof that the quality of life has improved. I took this photo riding with my uncle. Here we are stuck in Vietnam's version of friday rush hour traffic. There is never a dull moment on the streets of Saigon. And since I stayed with Aunt Thuy, I went riding all over the city. It was great fun for me and a unique experience, since I was a tourist disguised as a local. I love the buzz of the whizzing cars and traffic. And it still amazes me, even as I have now witnessed this constant flow firsthand, how there are not more accidents. Don't get me wrong, there are wrecks, but not pileups after pileups. And now that I have been back for the third time, it's still beguiling that people criss cross without getting hurt. The past few days have been spent doing nothing but eating and seeing family. And boy have I eaten... and eaten and eaten....

Friday night family night

For my family to take me out to dinner, and to pick up the tab, is a clear sign of progress.

I think we happily cheered with our beers 10 times. Then my cousins took me out for a night on the town, their style.

We karaoked for THREE HOURS.

It was so nice to see them all get together, happy, dancing, and obviously very close. In the Vietnamese culture, kids don't just go off to college and that's it. Invariably, as a young couple, some grandmother or aunt or uncle and their families will be living with you. Family stays close, both physically and emotionally.

I have a really neat family. Here's an old photo of my mom and me. I want to make sure I preserve the past as well as nurture the present. I have so many cousins, and they ALL came out on Friday night to meet me. They told me large family get togethers like the one friday is rare, that they came out to see me.

My mother was the only one in this family who escaped and left in 1975. Now, more than 3 decades later, I find myself increasingly drawn back to this side of my dual culture...

The side that while they may not be rich, have so much.

Cheers and happy training!

Trail Training

2008-02-26T09:50:00.002-06:00

Road Rules

Visiting Saipan is always an outdoor adventure for me.. Hiking, biking, exercising, swimming...this place is obviously one for the outdoors enthusiast.

With two weeks before the annual Saipan Xterra triathlon trail race, Tina and I hit the trails. She's racing in a few weeks so wanted to get ready.

I was so no ready...

I haven't truly mountain biked in years!

Cheers and happy training!

Guatama Buddha - “When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.”

Tina Tales

2008-02-24T23:03:00.009-06:00

Friendship Firsts Outside of the fact that I simply love the Saipan lifestyle ... (today I took Tina's aerobics class at the Hyatt hotel, then did a 1200 meter ocean swim in warm, clear and blue pacific waters) ... I love to visit because it gives me a chance to catch up with one of my closest friends, Tina. I have known Tina since college. In fact, I still boast that I am the reason she is still out here...and boy am I ever so grateful. See, I set her up with her husband Tim when I first moved here in 1996. He was among the first people I met here. Tina was living in Dallas, and self admittedly the quintessence of big city Texas gal. You might very well find her photo if you googled those words. Quite the glam girl, Tina liked the finer things in life and never missed a beat when it came to the urban, and up and coming. Then she came out to visit granola girl me in Saipan.

A Calculated Connection

That's when I told her that she had to meet this handsome, kind bachelor who lived here...a dashing man by the name of Tim Goodwin... and everything changed. They met and fell in love, and this year, will be celebrating their 10th year anniversary with their two beautiful kids, Steven, age 6 and Mylan., age 3. Saipan took the Dallas out of her. And that is a very good thing. These days you'll find Tina mountain biking, teaching aerobics, organizing soccer mom outings and in my humble opinion, appreciating what really matters in life. And that's my friend Tina. It's always nice to visit Saipan and visit her and her family.

Cheers and happy training! "Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things." Robert Louis Stevenson

Island Excursions

2008-02-24T07:21:00.006-06:00

Soaking in Saipan

It has been a great few days on Saipan. And most of my time has been spent doing my favorite activity here, and that's hiking. Saipan has so many great trails, and it never ceases to amaze me how much of the island there is to see and explore.

Sunday morning, Tina, her son Steven an his friend Carolina (visiting from Tokyo) went on a hike to my favorite place on island, a place named Forbidden Island.

Ithink the name has to do with the locals' lore, that this rough, rocky beachfront is haunted with evil spirits. There have been a number of drownings over the years. Carelessness here can cost you.

It's about a 20 minute trek down to the base of the "island". And the trek is nothing short of cool, as you traverse through the woods... all the while taking in the amazing views.

Once down Forbidden Island, we all jumped in for a swim with the fishies. Carolina and I decided to feed them some goldfish we brought along.

I think the neatest part of exploring forbidden island is going to the secret cold pool cave. You literally have to crawl through and down huge rocks.

Once we found the cold water pool cave we swam in it for awhile. Now when I say cold I mean like 75 degrees cold.

Not cold at all, but colder than the ocean water, since the water trapped in there doesnt get much sunlight. That ray of light you see on the right of the photo is where the rough ocean water spills into the cave.

I love forbidden island. It's always much fun everytime I go. And to think I used to go here all the time....

Volleying Around

This afternoon was spent enjoying a leisurely day at the Pacific Islands Club Hotel, where a beach volleyball tournament was taking place. Locals and well as world class pros competed.

Really, I'm told this guy sitting there is the number one ranked beach volleyball player in the world... I mean like the best. Of course, as I write this, his name escapes me.

He played doubles with one of my expat buddies who still lives here, and ironically, bought and runs the local tv station where I used to anchor.

That's Chris Nelson playing with the world's best. I think if I were Chris I'd be shaking. That would be like me riding in a pelaton with Desiree Ficker.

I took this photo for the sake of my roomie Liam, whom I thought would appreciate this pro beach volleyball player from Italy.

Yes, Saipan is a neat place. It's very outdoorsey, and there's always something going on. These are how the weekends are spent. No shopping, no sittin' in traffic to head to the malls, no stress.

I find those who took the plunge, who left their creature comforts in the states to live this lifestyle are my kind of people.

Damn I love Saipan and miss it. I can hardly believe I moved out here twelve years ago and left Saipan to continue my career climb.

My how life sometimes has a way of coming full circle.

Cheers and happy training!

"Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going." Tennessee Williams

2008-02-23T06:59:00.004-06:00

Today was a great day in Saipan, though probably better explained with the help of photos,of which I took several but cannot upload quite yet. In the meantime, here's a morning snapshot of my first morning "on island". Cheers and happy training! "Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saipan Story

2008-02-22T11:44:00.007-06:00

Precious Paradise I made it. I am here!

24 long and sleepless hours later, I am "on island!" Only it's 4 am and dark and my girlfriend and her husband and the kids are asleep, so I can't very well splish splash until later.

Yes, this is where I lived for two and a half elysian years...from 1996-98. I moved out here to take a job as a reporter and anchor. It's like doing small town news, only your audience are locals (Chamorro and Carolinian islanders) ex-pats, and contract workers from Asia (who work in the garment and hotel services industry)

To the left of that photo is Bob Coldeen, Saipan's local sportscaster icon, because he's STILL HERE!

Bob moved to the islands a million years ago as a peace corp volunteer. He met and married a Chuukese woman, his lovely wife Marta..had a family, and he never came back to the States.

And that's my co-anchor, Travis Coffman, who I believe is a bigshot radio talk show host in Guam. His story is similar. He married a lovely local girl from Saipan, Dinah, and together they have three kids.

Living here were some of the happiest years in my life. And over these last several years, I haven't been able to shake it, romanticizing a day when I can do it again.

The experience was life changing.

I think because when you live on a tiny island out in the middle of nowhere, you learn to truly appreciate what is important. For me, that was friends (who essentially become your family) and travel.

That's what I took from my time here.

Outside of being born in Vietnam, I was raised almost entirely in Houston and was exposed to very little until I moved overseas.

Living in Saipan, it was refreshing to not feel like the minority anymore.

It was great to travel to exotic places.

And nothing beats weekends spent scuba diving and barbequing with friends.

So for the next five days, until I head for Vietnam, I'll be here, in Saipan, reliving some of those moments.

This is a place that will always have my heart.

Cheers and happy training!

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."--Buddha

Travelling Light

2008-02-22T02:33:00.007-06:00

Hairy and Hurried I have always been terrible at planning big trips. My MO has always been the same: wait until the last minute to pack. Whatever I forget, I’ll just buy has been my logic. So Wednesday evening had me stuffing all kinds of stuff into one large luggage, getting about 4 hours sleep, and taking off. I did, however, decide I would take my bike. A major thank you to roomie Liam for packing the bike. Although as I write this, it may all be in vain. As I mentioned in a past post, my nifty new pinkgurugal laptop has a built in camera, so for the next few weeks I plan not only to write, but to Video blog, or as “they” say, vlog. I was in good spirits when I left thursday morning. But things went WAY south once I arrived to the airport. Because my other MO is that I arrive usually at the nick of time. My luggage and and my bike box were set home with Rob. Really. A Calamitous Continental Check in Continental ticketing agents basically wouldn’t take my luggage because it was checked in 33 minutes before the flight. They say I should have had it checked in an hour before the flight. Still, I’m not so sure about that. The kiosk allowed the check in. I even had my claim stickers in hand. Heck, I had even paid 50 bucks for having too much crap in my luggage. Personally, I think they were miffed at my skycap, who unbeknownst to me, had cut in line, and processed the whole thing.... then made me out to look like the jack-ass when i was confused at the situation. So net net, I had little choice but to run to the gate and get on my plane headed to Tokyo, sans luggage. Here's my vlog version skinny. Cheers and happy training!

Hi tech Testing

2008-02-17T00:58:00.003-06:00

Standby

Below is Pinkgurugal's first on camera appearance since my tv news career departure in December.

Only here, it's one in the morning, and I am dressed in my robe, with no makeup on, in the confines of my home.

Welcome to the real me.

Roll Tape

I am testing out my nifty new pink laptop's camera recording capability and hope to Vlog while in Saipan, Vietnam and Honolulu.

Seriously, writing this blog was about as high tech as I have gone.

Technology continues to intimidate me, but it seems trial and error has worked for me.

And I think it's working...

Note: Rob is making a cameo appearance. :)

Cheers and happy training!

"Light today with tomorrow." Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Running Repercussions

2008-02-15T08:02:00.013-06:00

Marathon Must I love the Houston Marathon.

I've completed five in a row and hope to continue this streak annually. I'm not anywhere near fast nor am I out there to win, I just like the feeling of accomplishment. Okay and maybe I am OCD about it.....

But in order to continue running, I need to address what's morphed into an increasingly aching issue.

Reality is here. No more denying.

Yes, much like the 12 step program... I'm taking my first step: I'm admitting I have a problem.

Patella Pain

Note those black bands around my knees.

Those are what have gotten me through my years of long distance running.

Now I'm no doctor, but those bands keep my knee caps from moving around during my runs, thus preventing sharp shooting pains.

They get sore, they hurt. And on rare occasions, the pain is so overwhelming take, I am relegated to ending the run. The bands save the day.

So yesterday, I finally had a date with a sports medicine doctor to figure out why, after FIVE weeks, I STILL can't step foot on the track.

Picture not so perfect

According to the doctor, if you look at my knees, notice how my alignment is not so symmetrical. That causes the pain and swelling, I think.

This aerial view of the knee caps is apparently more telling My knee caps are pushing outward, and overuse has those balls (hee hee... I said balls...) misaligned.

Prognosis?

I have runner's knee, an inflammation in and around the patella spawned by overuse.

Solution?

Ice and physical therapy exercises. And lay off the running. And trust me I have. I have not put on my running shoes since marathon day.

Not that I have been training at all, but I have my first triathlon race on March 15th overseas (1.2k swim, 37 mile ride, 9 mile run), then I am committed to the local Longhorn half ironman on March 28th.

Rob plans to run the swim portion (he swam Division one in college) for the "Tagaman" race in Saipan... I'll do the bike, and then depending on my knees, I'll do the run. Or he might do it.

I know, Im stubborn, I should REALLY defer these races, but shit, it's a part of me.

You tri geeks out there know what I mean.

Training gives us purpose. And lately, I haven't been training. I can't run. Shit, I can hardly walk sometimes! Which worries me.....

Anyhoo... this knee thing is something new. Praytell it won't stick around, like my other bone and muscle issue

Back Bothers NOTE: This will be the ONLY time I BARE IT ALL on my blog. Meet my spine, and more specifically, my lower back. We go way back.... like NINE years.... and still counting. That's when a day of water skiing turned injurious. While on my skis, the boat operator took a sharp turn, causing me to snap my back forward and too quickly. I'm no Xray reader, but if you look at my L5 S1 (that's the lower vertebrate that connects to the sacrum), there is not only some slippage, but there is also a hairline fracture, which is apparently the culprit of my chronic pain Over the years, I've managed with the help of cortizone injections, medication (mmm...vicodin, celebrex, etc...) and physical therapy. That's the ONLY way I can get through a long distance run. This year, I'm going to take ANOTHER serious look at alternatives. The pain has never gone away. I mean, do I want to get injections forever? Do I want to pop a pain pill when it hurts? And on that note, doctors are so leary of prescribing the good stuff for fear of litigation, i'm not even getting vicodin anymore. Which of course, makes me anxious because without vicodin and or a steroid injection, there is NO way I can handle the pain associated with long runs. And that would be death to my running and triathlons. And that would suck. Cheers and happy training! "As long as one keeps coming searching, the answers come." Joan Baez

Back in Blog Business

2008-02-12T19:44:00.005-06:00

Think Pink

Pinkgurugal's recent bout of blog inertia had to do with my laptop. It's STILL in the shop. I mean, it has been a month, much to my frustration.

It's just not the same... blogging on my desktop (the thing works like a snail!)

So today I made a self admitted impulse purchase...

I couldn't resist. Really.

I mean, it's pink. Some girls buy Mahnolo Blanik's... I choose PINK

IT'S SO ME!

I can take it on my travels and literally take pictures from the computer.

I havent managed to figure it out yet though.

Next time.

And as soon as I can figure out how to video blog (my laptop can video record too) I'll do that.

I'M BACK!

It's about time...cuz dammit, I got lots to talk about.

A Fated Find

Sitting at my doctor's office the other day, I looked up and noticed an Ansel Adams portrait. Then I looked closely at the writing.

Holy Homeland!

Canyon De Chelly? Could it be? Does this place actually exist?

For those of you who don't know.... the Chelly is a coined up name that comprises of me (Chau) and my best friend, Kelly.

Chau and Kelly are "the Chelly".

We are not just best friends. We're a statement, a lifestyle...

and now we've learned we're also a spiritual, native American Indian destination.

The chelly plans a pilgrimage to the homeland soon.

Wingin' It

Besides being an all around nice gal, pinkgurugal is an excellent wing girl. Just ask my many male friends, who have gleefully utilized my wing girl expertise. I always deliver.

Here's a recent example.

This is Pinkgurugal's guy pal we fondly call the Serpent.

Thanks to yours truly, here Serpent sits and chats with a young hottie during a recent Sunday afternoon at La Strada.

I facilitated this by first introducing myself and telling her (unbeknownst to Sepent) Serpent wanted to buy her a drink.

I have no shame.

Minutes later, things heat up when my Serpent exchanges digits with Miss hottie.

Talk later turned into some afternoon booty shaking. Pinkgurugal snapped this third shot of SERPENT slithering around the dance floor.

I think I may start charging for my wing girl services.

Jersey girl

Among the many things I love about Rob is his spontanaity.

The hat I am wearing was purchased at a Las Vegas hotel gift shop...just because....

Then the other night, it came in the form of buying Kelly and me matching shirts.

Let's hug it out

I wish all conflict ended this way. Now it's the chelly's job to spread the word.

Cheers and happy training!

"My happiness is not a means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose."- Ayn Rand

Inauspicious Oddities

2008-01-27T17:59:00.000-06:00

Sickies Stink I am sick...again. Since I left my job, I think I have been down with a cold, sinus infection, allergies, fatigue..etc for most of the four weeks. I am frustrated and am heading to the doctor's office for the second time. I am tired of feeling like my head is going to explode, like I am delirious from some virus ridden, germ perpetuating ailment. bring the violins out. poor me... i'm pathetic. Technology Torment On top of that, I have had the worst issues, with 1) my laptop 2) my ever so snail speed desktop 3) how to get my blog out of whatever mode that's preventing me from blogging with photos and screwing up the format. I know VERY LITTLE about computers, and thanks to the last anonymous for the advice.. but my reply would be ..."huh??" Also, since Baun has a MAC, and as much as we tried, no luck. Thanks for the effort, my fellow Blog pal...however feigned on my part. Anyhoo, after much back and forth with the folks at GEEK SQUAD, who gave me back my computer sans repairs, it appears it might be yet another week before I get it returned... ughh... So tonight I find myself sick, but yearning for an outlet to vent. Henceforth, I will write, notwithstanding the f-ed up looking script. Holidays on hold I didn't expect the weeks to go by so fast, but they have. And while I had anticipated the beginning of my world travels by now, I have decided to hold off for at least the next few weeks. Frankly, I have a million to-do projects and am actually still in need of this decompress time, especially given this unwelcomed ailment of mine. So what's my new itinerary? It looks like I am blowing off Europe altogether, and instead taking off for southeast asia and my vietnamese homeland first. A few weeks there, then it's off to the islands of Guam and Saipan, where I hope to do back to back triathlons (the Saipan tagaman, an olympic distance race, and the Saipan Xterra...a cool race through the woods.) Those islands are fraught with World War two history, and since Rob his a WWII fanatic, he will be joining there. It will be nice to be there to see old friend and have a good time. I lived there in the mid-90's, and it was some of the happiest times of my life. Have I trained? Heck no? Oh and my knees have not been so hot since the marathon...in fact, pinkgurugal has not stepped foot on the trails since then. A few spin classes, weights, swimming and pilates are all I can muster these days. Hopefully by the time my travels come around, I'll be in better shape, and my damn laptop will be in full working condition. Cheers and happy training! Thich Nhat Hanh - “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

Sin City, An extreme makeover and dining delights

2008-01-24T13:20:00.000-06:00

911! CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO ENABLE MY COMPUTER TO GET OUT OF JAVA SCRIPT SO I CAN POST PHOTOS! HELP!!! Life of Leisure Heads to Las Vegas Last weekend, Pinkgurugal headed to the city of sin to.... No, just kidding. Rob and I were there to "meet the parents". I am ecstatic to say that everyone hit it off, enjoying many yummy meals at the Nguyen's asian restaurant, and engaging in thoughtful conversations. Of course, Rob and I engaged in our own decadance. Similar in personalities, we love to have a good time. And we love to be together. And dammit people love us too. No kidding, this photo was titled "cutest couple" on lastnightpics.com. Seriously, we are the poster children for the beautiful and cool. And it's high school payback. since I was quite the dork growing up and was far from being voted anything like this! Clothing Catharsis On one of my recent days off I literally purged my closet. It was quite the task... ridding yourself of 15 years of work suits, tops, slacks. It took hours. And it felt great. Out with the old Chau, in with the new. I took at least 100 pounds worth to buffalo exchange. I got back $27. 27-dollars for years worth of clothing? I bet if you tallied it up, that was thousands of dollars of clothing! But it really doesn't matter, because in all honestly, I am just relieved my wardrobe has been reduced by 75-percent. I've decided the new Chau is a clothing minimalist, only purchasing what is necessary, not just heading out the door to "go shopping" (I hate shopping, and the malls make me have mild panic attacks). Communing Last night, Rob and I became chefs for the night by cooking up our favorite dishes for friends. His is puntanesca, literally translated into whore sauce, but far from tasting dirty. Mine is the vietnamese hot and sour soup, which is nothing but sweet to the palate. We had a few friends over, and enjoyed great conversation. It's nice to decompress like this. I was set to travel soon, but I think i'll wait it out another month. After all, what's the rush? Cheers and happy training! Albert Einstein - “Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity.”

Give the Gal some Tylenol!

2008-01-24T13:15:00.000-06:00

Dizzying Days

Today is February 4th and thus continues another day in the leisurely life of pinkgurugal. Of course, leisure is what one makes of it.

And so far my life feels anything but leisurely.

The last two days have me sleeping in, waking up with RAGING HEADACHES. I mean, the kind that feels like a dagger is stuck in the middle of your brain.

So yesterday I wasted my day away reading and sleeping for pretty much the ENTIRE day.

Today I was somewhat productive, making a few appointments and having lunch with a dear old friend. And wouldn't you know, she's on work hiatus too. Always fun to compare notes about how one spends the day away when unemployed.

Oh and the other thing... I am so NOT fit these days.

On the Injured List?

Ever since my abysmal running of the Houston marathon, I have not stepped foot on the trails.

WHY? Well, my knees have not felt the same since that day. In fact, BOTH knees have been giving me problems. I keep thinking they are bruised, that those sharp shooting pains behind the knee caps will go away.

They haven't

Looks like it's time to head to an orthopedist.

Laptop Listlessness

I got a call from Geek Squad the other day and it looks my my laptop will remain on life support for another few weeks. I am now actually pondering the purchase of a new one.

That's because come February 21st, I am trekking

ONWARD TO ASIA

This weekend I finalized plans for the first leg of my trip, which will include Saipan, Vietnam and Hawaii.

I will be gone for about a month, and Rob plans to meet me in Saipan about three weeks into the journey.

I am so excited but a bit nervous at the same time. It has been seven years since I have been back to Vietnam, and this time I am going there alone. I plan to see my many relatives, the only real plans I have while there.

I am even pondering not reading up on anything at all , just showing up and going where the wind takes me.

I love spontaneous trips, devoid of any real itinerary but to wake up and go.

Oh, and a HUGE thanks to Jessica for helping me to figure out my blogging woes.

Suffice it to say the problem was with silly me this entire time. It was entirely something REALLY STUPID

I can now happily blog with photos and all.

CUTEST COUPLE

Yeah, seriously. Even at the ripe old ages of 34 and 44, Rob and I were voted Cutest Couple by lastnightpics.com

I was such a geek in high school I consider this honor to be poetic justice.

Cheers and happy training!

Helen Adams Keller - “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.”

26.2 times 7

2008-01-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

It's OVER I finished. I finished my 7th marathon, my fifth Houston one. But it was not pretty. If you want to know how to have a crappy race, then here's the formula. NOTE** My damn desktop won't let me upload pics to this blog..so I have no photos to share..shit shit shit shit.... Pinkgurugal's Anti-Marathon Recipe 1) don't train 2) suffer a terrible chest cold the week leading up to the race 3) eat late (like at 9pm) the night before the race 4) roll out of bed 25 minutes before the race 5) eat 3 bites of oatmeal and 3 sips of coffee heading to the race 6) and ... SKIP that all important "Number 2 bathroom break" This was the least prepared I've ever been. Being sick didn't help. Neither did being burned out from the 2007 race season. Oh yes, and I quit my job and fell in love. I think the latter played a part, but I'll take that over all of this. Pinkgurugal's Play by play Why did I get up so late? Well.... it was cold and the bed was felt so good. I'm not a morning person. But when I finally rolled out of bed, I realized... I cant eat a whole bowl of oatmeal so close to the race start. After Rob dropped me off at 7:00am (when the gun went off), I managed to start with the second marathon wave at 7:10. Things were going fine, I stayed with the 4:15 pack for the first 15 miles. Then it went downhill from there. For the next 11 miles, I went from a 9:36 pace to ultimately, a 10:30 minute pace. I was tired, my legs were soooo heavy, and my knees felt so numb. Thankfully, I literally ran into a friend who was running at my increasingly slowing pace. By mile 21-22, I was so tired. In years past, I always had some reserve left in my tank, and I could usually step up the pace. Not this year. It took everything in me to run it in. Memorable Marathon Moments 1) I high fived with President George Bush and Babs, who were watching the marathoners go by in front of their church. 2) Thank God for Joe Martin who kept me company while I was dying out there. 3) Saw the Chelly (my best friend Kelly) smoke by me (she did a "training" half marathon in 1:34!) 4) I Saw Rob, his son John and Trigreyhound at mile 7. It's always fun to see people you know 5) TriRyguy took some pics at mile 22. I can't download them for some reason 6) The belly dancers were at their usual mile 20. (I like seeing them) 7) The weather was PERFECT 8) The finishers shirts were cool. Accolades Congrats to everyone who raced, including my good friend Joe Philips, blog nemesis Red Allez Guy (who bought a race entry and was Neil Cheng) Sugar Daddy Philip Shama, and lastly, Ironbabe Jane for finishing her FIRST marathon. You go Jane! Cheers and happy training! "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen." --Mark Twain

Marathon Meditations

2008-01-10T16:48:00.000-06:00

Recovery Road It appears my recovery from the sickies is beginning. Today was a better day, evidenced by the fact that I did not wake up like my head was going to explode and feeling completely dizzy and weak. (I literally slept all day yesterday!) Still feeling weak however, I decided to do my usual obsessive cleaning of the house on this beautiful thursday. Of course, when you are a jobless bum I honestly wasn't sure if today was actually thursday. On the Liam sickies front, today was his turnaround day. He is finally feeling better, went to work, and is eating again. I've never seen him so depressed from not being able to train. Thank goodness he's back. The tri commune was a mess this week. Today's laundry list of to-do's included clearing out the guest bedroom, cleaning the couch, vaccuuming the floors, and cleaning the kitchen. Total time: four hours. I feigned running today but did not make it very far. Which leads to my next topic 26.2 Torment Holy Shit! The houston marathon is this SUNDAY and I have been sick all week. In fact, I can't remember the last time I took six days off. Ambivalence over this race has permeated my every thought today. Should I? Shouldn't I? Will I be able to breathe? What if my knees and ankles give out? After all, my marathon training has been less than impressive, with only a couple of long runs (really, a 14 miler and a 20 miler) and some other runs. But hell, I'm running it. This will be my fifth Houston in a row and my 7th marathon. I can't quit. I'm not wired that way. And yes, there are no pics lately. My laptop crashed, and my desk top stinks. Oh and tonight my dear friend Debbie has asked my to speak before hundreds of new marathoners at the Houston Fit Pasta dinner. Do as I say, not as I do.... Cheers and happy training! "I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." Jesse Owens

Second Week Sickies

2008-01-09T14:28:00.000-06:00

Listless and Lethargic This week, the tri commune has come down with the sickies. First, it was roommate Liam. He started throwing up saturday morning, couldn't keep ANYTHING down, and ultimately wound up at the mini er late monday evening. A Huge thanks to Rob for staying with Liam until 4am that night. Rob is very paternal that way. Then yesterday I got a call from TryRyGuy with the same symptoms. So I drove him to the doctor's office. Since I was feeling run down, congested and all around crappy, I decided to get checked out too. Turns out I have Sinuitis. Yesterday I did my normal OCD cleaning around the house. I managed to purge one drawer full of clothes. Then I cooked a huge bowl of soup Today I've done NOTHING because.... This morning I woke up with a terrible headache. Week two of my hiatus, it's a GORGEOUS day, and I'm at home. Oh and the Houston marathon is Sunday and I can't even run without losing my breath. I'm in so much trouble if this does not go away. Cheers and happy training! Confucius - “Whosesoever you go, go with all your heart.”

A Leisure Life?

2008-01-07T21:33:00.000-06:00

Blog Blunder Pinkgurugal has been out of blog commission because...mmmm... my laptop's motherboard CRASHED. How it happened is not clear. What motherboard means I have no idea. I'm far from a techie, so I brought the thing into the Geek Squad (ingenius name) for repairs. The Geeks (Geeks are cool, by the way) tell me it will be TWO WEEKS before I can reclaim it. So I asked Rob to bring home his laptop so I can blog. Relaxing Ruminations Now that I am one week into my "no career, no job, skipping out of the real world" hiatus, I can honestly say that it has not hit me. I think because it's difficult to reprogram your mind so suddenly from a fast paced lifestyle to true decompression....as evidenced by my prior week. So the day after the New Year, I got right to work doing my "to-do" list, which was quite lengthy and much to my surprise. So the usual "do as much as you can" got going... from running a million errands to calling several "contacts", I was so busy it felt like a full time job. What I learned about myself is that I am not one to sit still. I always feel like I have to stay busy. Heck, I even went on a job interview last Friday and was offered the position. I promised myself January would be a month of decompression. I failed my first week. Saturday morning was so surreal for me. Usually up at 4:30am...(okay I'm lying)...5am... I instead slept in until 9ish. WOW...a Sauturday morning like normal people? That was a nice feeling! Rob took me out Friday night with friends. It was sooooooo nice not to have a curfew. Chilling Out Check So this Monday evening finds me having a late night bloody mary (hey, I don't have to work tomorrow) and relaxing. I have resolved that this week, I will try my best to forget that "to-do" list and unwind. After all, this is my time to recharge my batteries before my travel plans. Cheers and happy training! “What a new face courage puts on everything!” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bye-Bye Banter

2008-01-02T09:09:00.000-06:00

On Air Exit

Saturday ,morning was my final day on the air at KHOU, and my final farewell to what has been a 15 year career in TV News. I couldn't sleep the prior night, but I felt fine once I started anchoring.

Truth be told, the morning seemed like just another day, although it wasn't. The floor regulars, Don, Ray and George and Thanh were there...I'll miss these guys.

Rob and my friends Christine and Kip were thoughtful enough to come to the station in the final hour of the news. We had a lot of fun during the commercial breaks, and they caught a glimpse of what I do in that time.

Then it was time to say goodbye. I didn't have much to say other than "...thanks, so long and see ya around." Some might think this would be an emotional moment, but if you saw the look on my face, the emotions were more of excitement than of sorrow. I think because I have reconciled this end for awhile and was leaving on my terms. Or maybe it all hasn't hit me. Heck, while everyone is working today , it's nearly 9:30am, and I am still in my robe. I have a long list of to-do's I need to get through, but hey, I am taking the whole month off!

And it occurred to me this morning that I have never taken more than two weeks off since I was 19 years old! Add to that I worked full time through college, not to mention I finished college in 3 1/2 years. WHEW!

Oh and everytime I have taken time off, I have always headed somewhere for vacation.

So needless to say, I am eager to spend this time to decompress. Even if it means blowing off some errands for the day or laying around in my bathrobe. Cheers and happy training!

Holiday Hum Drum

2008-01-01T11:32:00.000-06:00

Take 2008!

Happy New Year! The tri commune ushered in this January 1st appropriately sleeping in. Everyone was beat.

Unlike many revelers, pinkgurugal had a pleasant evening at home... spent with roomie Liam, Rob, his son John, and TriRyguy. Rob cooked a wonderful Shoyuz chicken plate (Hawaiian chicken..he lived there in high school), and I cooked a yummy hot and sour soup.

Boys will be boys

Much to my concern and dismay, my backyard became a fireworks free for all.

Sparklers and smokebombs. Maybe it's a guy thing.

Fast forward

I must admit, now that I am happily unemployed (more on my last days of work later), I am looking forward, among many things, to getting my house in order (see previous blog about my OCD cleaning habits) .

I'm also looking forward to dressing like a bum

Cheers and happy training!

"Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed"

Buddha

These are a few of my favorite things

2007-12-21T12:49:00.001-06:00

Movie Memory

So I stole the title from the Sound of Music. Remember the days before cable, when this came on during the holidays? I still watch it when it comes on... I love Julie Andrews. Oh the age of innoncence .

Anyhoo, Ironbabe Jane tagged me to list the Five things about me. Like a dumb blond, at first i didn't know what she meant by tagging me. Then I figured it out. So here it goes (PG-13 version of course!)

Exclusive Admissions

1) I am an obsessive cleaner. And here's some evidence to prove it.

Even though I have a weekly lawn guy come to my home, the pine needles on my roof were bugging the crap out of me. Then I noticed gunk in my gutters. Then I blew them out. Who does this??

I saw a spot on my breakfast table and scrubbed it until it disappeared. OCD.

2) I sometimes pee in the shower. Too much information, but true.

3) I am generous with friends, but way cheap when it comes to me. I have been known to shop at either Buffalo Exchange (a resale shop) or Target for kids. Yes, I wear kids clothes. It's the only stuff that fits these days.

4) I sometimes act on impulse, like the time I decided within two days and bought a $750 airline ticket to see my parents because I missed them. And because I love a good deal, I gave up my seat and volunteered to take the next flight to get a $450 voucher. I'm convinced God gave me a break!

5) I am constantly 10-15 minutes late to everything, and that includes work, even when I am NOT pressed for time. I dawdle around the house. Or when I am in a rush, I bolt out the door like a hurricane. That's how my girlfriend Jessica so aptly describes me. She's right.

'Nuff said

Cheers and happy training!

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built. "

Eleanor Roosevelt

A "Tale's" End to 2007

2007-12-17T15:41:00.000-06:00

Winding down December

Once again we are in the waning days of 2007, and I find myself perhaps in the best place in my life, never happier, never more optimistic.

Much like Trigreyhound's remarkable year (go read it, it will inspire you), 2007 has been a whirlwind journey. I forged intimate bonds, fulfilled a goal that seemed impossible and made an incredible life change thanks to courage and inspiration.

When 2007 started, I joked to a friend that this would be the year of me. I didn't mean that in an egocentric or arrogant way, I just promised myself this would be my turnaround year.

2005 and 2006 were personally challenging years for me in many ways, so I vowed a fresh start.

Family and Friends

God blessed me with many new and old friends this year. If home is where the heart is, there was a lot of heart at mine. Home became the tri commune. The door was always open. You never knew who would stop in and say hi. But they were always welcome.

And I inherited a family. How we laughed..and cried...and shared in the sauce, and just plain hung out. A bunch of 20 and 30 something singles, with a love of fitness and triathlons, good and decent people, who found each other. How rare and how special.

Acting on an Ironman

If you asked me three years ago if I would ever do an Ironman, much less know what one was, I probably would have replied... "huh?"

What a journey, shared by someone who became my best friend and sister soulmate Kelly, with whom I have an unbreakable girlfriend connection like no other. It was Kelly who had the impulsive idea on September 2006 and said "hey, let's sign up for the 2007 wisconsin ironman."

One year later, there was no turning back.

How great it felt.

And how it empowered me for the next major life change. And that's my....

Career coming to an end

I'm only a few weeks away from the end of a 15 year television news career. It seems like yesterday I was a young pup hoping to break it into this business. It was everything and more than I imagined.

I report during the week, but i anchor the Saturday morning news. This show is my baby, and the my cohorts have become my family as well. Let's hope I don't tear up when I sign off on december 29th.

How the Ironman plays into this has to simply do with courage. I know it takes guts. I know it's ballsy. But I know I'll be okay.

Fear is not a word that exists in my world, or at least it RARELY rears its head into my world.

Fortuitous Find

I am convinced serendipity played a role in this one. On November 1st, something happened that has again changed my life. And that is, I met He who shall not be named.

HWSNBN is Rob Todd, a friend for many years. A friend who has now become my best friend and more.

What a way to culminate my year.

Life is hills and valleys, and I know there will be valleys ahead. But I'm on my hill, and I'm going to embrace it.

My oh my. It doesn't get any better than 2007.

I chose to live this year, and I chose to follow my dreams. And I choose to keep doing that. I hope you do too.

To friends, family, relationships, experiences happiness and love.

Cheers and happy training!

"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."

Aldous Huxley

Boring Banter

2007-12-07T16:52:00.001-06:00

Chew on this

Firstly, if you are not into reading about NOTHING, then I suggest STOPPING now...

The following post is completely trivial, and it's just my wired head putting inane thoughts down in writing. No patronizing needed. Stop now. I warn you. It's boring stuff

I have had so many random observations this week on life and just stuff, but my hurricane-like lifestyle never managed to sit down and write about them until yesterday.

Truth be told, I am just plain unorganized and live my life in controlled chaos. Lists help, but lately it seems little gets crossed out. But I have a good excuse. Sometimes I am so busy at work i don't have time to eat. yum...raw ramen noodles... try it sometimes. it's crunchy

Social Scenery

I noticed my calendar for the month of December and like many of us, the holiday parties seem to never end. Not that I mind getting dolled up and having fun, but I need a little down time and haven't given myself any lately. But mmmm... I am having fun.

Then again, I'll have plenty of downtime once January rolls around and I am unemployed and be who I really want to be, and that's a gypsy hippie chick ready to jetset the world. I can't wait to stop juggling and play. I vote play.

From fit to fun?

Scrolling down prior blogs I noticed my life has morphed from hard core ironman training to normality. I've hardly ever talk about training. In fact, it's just social everyday stuff...

And no it's not normalcy... that's a coined FDR word post world war two...that "return to normalcy" slogan.

I feel ambivalent about this one. On one hand, I love sleeping in and just "working out". Conversely, without a training plan I have no real focus and feel a little lost.

Marathon training? Well....at least i run 3 times a week and have done one long 14 mile run. Does that count? probably not.

Swimming? mmm... not taking a master's swimming class like Trigreyhound or Kelly or Liam...I've been in the pool i think once in the last two weeks.

Biking? Brrrr. I'm a wimp when it comes to cold. In fact, my roomie Liam and I rolled out the other day, and I was covered with arm warmers, leg warmers, a headband, gloves and toe warmers. And it was probably 60 degrees. I have, however, gotten out the good ole bike trainer.

I miss my long rides though. But I do love to sleep in on Sundays.

Technology Torment

So the other day i'm at Best Buy.Not to shop, but to cover one of those perfunctory "What TV should I buy?" stories. Lucky me.

All my years of scribbling on a reporter's notepad put me way behind the eight ball when it comes to keeping up with technology. I always feel so intimidated walking around. Camcorders, tv's, memory cards..agghh... what is all this???

You may think because I blog I know all the ins and outs of techonology. Not the case. This is all a work in progress.

Speaking of work in progress.... I hope you enjoy my slide show. I love pictures. They are memories of good times. I'm a major sentimentalist if you haven't already noticed.

AND... since the training season is on break, I thought this rainbow photo compliments my new music.

I love the Brother IZ song. I hope you do too!

Cheers and happy training!

"Happiness does not lie in happiness, but in the achievement of it."

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Rallying meets Racism

2007-12-02T20:40:00.000-06:00

Can't we all get along?

Remember those words? The LA riots? Rodney King, beaten by police officers, caught on camera? I typically don't blog about my work. But in the waning weeks of the end of my television news career, I witnessed and covered an unusual and perhaps disturbing rally.

In the middle of this photo is Quannel X, a controversial black activist....controversial for his often public outcries of racial injustice. Some question his motive..others accuse him of being a demagogue...while others say he effects change in the black commmunity and exposes racism and oppression.

Here, Quannel and his entourage were marching to the Pasadena suburban home of Joe Horn, a man who recenty shot and killed two burglars who were walking out of his next door neighbor's home.

Not that it matters, but the next door neighbors are Vietnamese who have stayed out of this heated debate over whether Horn had the right to shoot to protect their property.

Quannel's planned protest was met by Joe Horn supporters, some of whom are neighors, and many of whom showed up through a biker's club. Their claim? Horn has the right to protect property (though keep in mind this was his neighbor's home)

Signs of the Times?

This group came armed with signs with all sorts of messages...

Ready to Rally

Things got out of hand. I mean really out of hand. It was nothing short of a melee. Quannel and his people walked no more than a block before being stopped short of Horn's home. They left, only to return with more of his people, and the pushing and shoving began.

Protecting the Public

Finally riot police (yes, riot police in a suburban neighborhood!) showed up to contain the crowd and ensure safety. Yours truly was squished in the middle of all this, next to Quannel. I couldn't help but think "if someone shoots, I may very well be the one"...

Thankfully, I'm alive to recount this

You know it's serious business when riot police arrive. But perhaps more telling about this story were the many racist rants heard. "n-g**er go home!" "Go home to the ghetto!" "Martin Luther King is nothing but a communist!" It was hardly believable. This was supposed to a rally to protest the shootings of two burglars, and a counter rally to support the right to bear arms. Instead racism reared its ugly head. This is a story that has stayed on mind for the last few days. Perhaps because I too have been the brunt of racism. And as evidenced here, racism is transparent. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. It's not supposed to be a day of unrest. "But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?" Robert F. Kennedy

PinkGurugal's Gracious Gift

2007-11-28T16:27:00.000-06:00

Flower Flutters

Thank GOD it's another day. Sorry about that poor me blog from yesterday. I had a meltdown. And thanks to my fellow bloggers for those funny comments. It actually cheered me up.

Then today these came to my station.

"He who shall not be named" sent these unbelievably gorgeous roses.

And the card couldn't be more touching. Like a giggly girl, I have to share.

Privacy made Public

So I showed up to the station this afternoon, tried to rice paper walk my way to my desk, which incidentally is at the OTHER END of the newsroom.

Of course, I strolled in during our weekly open newsroom meeting.

Then the unexpected and embarrassing happened.

My boss: "Hey Chau, come on in. Ladies and gentlemen.... Chau Nguyen!"

Newsroom colleagues (about 50 of them): Clapping...

Me: "Hi??" (I start walking fast)

My boss: "Chau, we sent you flowers!"

Me: "Thanks Keith, just send me the bill."

I swear if I could blush, I would have. But I'm a brown Vietnamese girl, and we don't get so pink in the face.

I'm so lucky. Thank you HWSNBN. You know how to make a girl feel special!

Cheers and happy training!

"The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart." Buddha

Blues blogging

2007-11-27T17:01:00.000-06:00

A Pensive post I can't exactly pinpoint it, or maybe I don't really want to share it with the world, but I am in a melancholy mood today. Work was good...easy story. Colleagues are great...my favorite photographer worked with me. It was a beautiful day...blah blah blah... Every time the seasons change I get this way. And in part, it has to do with the fact that I have not seen Kelly in days, and I'm having Chelly withdrawels. Jane came over last night armed with a huge pot of gumbo. Thanks Jane. That was so yummy. But Kelly has not been around :( Maybe it's because it's just life, and in life, we have our moods. I often think about the ladies at Bonita House, a women's shelter for those who've hit rock bottom, whether through drugs or bad relationships. I've had the privilege of speaking and volunteering there on occasion. Their courage inspires me. I definitely feel a calling to help them. It's one of the career changes I am considering. There is nothing better than to see these women overcome adversity to start over. We all deserve that second chance. If you haven't had a chance to look at what they do, open the link. It's amazing. Now I may not feel their pain, but I think we all understand pain. I have a great life, a wonderful family, a great nitch of friends, not to mention a budding personal life. Still, I have the funk today and thought journaling would help. I'm not writing this to feel sorry for myself. I have much for which to be thankful. Just some thoughts. I'm having a drink with some work colleagues after work today. Then Kelly will come over. I'm so lucky I have girlfriends. This is Lisa. What a wonderful woman. Beautiful, successful, independent, kind, spiritual..the kind of girl you men would love to take home to mom. Aren't girlfriends the best? That's a bond unique to women. You men could never understand. I'm glad I'm a woman and not a man in these times. They are my rock, and I know they will be there when I need emotional support, and I too. I need to ride my bike. TriGreyHound, thanks for the offer to ride tonight, but I have yet to buy leg and toe warmers. It's on my increasingly growing "to do" list. My legs are sore from yesterday's run. I'm taking the night off. I need a martini. There I go again... my penchant for the sauce. Cheers (kind of) and happy training! "Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up. " Pearl Buck

Back to Biking, In rare running form

2007-11-26T18:46:00.000-06:00

Indoor Agony It's official. Now that it's finally cold, I pulled out the bike trainer and started cycling. I hate cycling indoors, I miss heading to conroe for that quasi hilly 54 mile loop, but truth be told, I HATE the cold. And I need to buy toe warmers and leg warmers. On Saturday I cycled one hour and 15 minutes, then did my ab class on TV. It had been awhile since Pingurugal took pink for a spin. My only saving grace is the TV. I hardly ever watch TV, and the only shows I watch these days (on TIVO) are 60 minutes, Ugly Betty and the CBS Sundy Morning Show (an all time edifying favorite). Having said that, I began wondering why 1) My cable bill seems to be steadily rising every month (it's at $147!) 2) Why do I even bother with cable? Well, my only justification is that it's convenient. Probably not fiscally sensible. But choices are good when you have it. Making up for lost Marathon Training time Since I have hardly trained for the Houston Marathon, (okay I haven't trained AT ALL!) and it's seven weeks away, today I decided to get my butt out to the park and run 14 miles. Not that it was bad or hard, but I was sooooo bored, even with my Ipod. Not to mention there were cold breezes in the shade. Brrrr! One marathon year I didn't even train and ran my long run the week before the race. That was silly. So I figure I'll just do long runs coupled with short runs during the week until the race. I guess I've gotten bored with running. I still like the marathon, but one a year is more than enough for me. Triathlons are so much more fun. So many things go through my mind while running. From the mundane to the profound. Silly things like the clean laundry I still have to fold. And deeper things like reconciling fate over happenstance. Relationship Ruminations Can one be fated towards something or someone? Or is it just by mere coincidence? Einstein said "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." I resonate with that quote. I'm voting hope over happenstance....Serendipity... Kismet, and all the goodness that comes with Einstein's coined coincidence quote. I say go for God, whatever that means to you. I don't know why I'm rambling. Probably the delirium kicking in from that run. Or maybe my mind runs in circles about questions which I trust few can really emperically answer without that word we call faith. Anyhoo.... Cheers and happy training! "The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions." -Alfred Lord Tennyson

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T22:09:00.000-06:00

Family Firsts

Even though the first generation of the Nguyen family (i.e. my immediate family) does not observe Thanksgiving like most Americans (see prior post),

members of the Nguyen children have happily adopted thanksgiving with all the traditional fixins and

The second generation of Nguyens

This year I spent thanksgiving dinner with my brother Dean, his wife Miriam, and my two absolutely adorable and beautiful nieces, Mailynh and Katelynh.

Also there tonight were other family members on Miriam's side. That's Mailynh's BFF Madu.

Can you believe the tree was already up when I arrived?

Now the food was fabulous, but even better was the post-dinner fun.

I love to goof off.

And I'm a cool aunt.

And thanksgiving is not so bad with those who mean most to me. Kids make it awfully fun.

And I am very thankful.

Cheers and happy thanksgiving!

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul.

And sings the tune

Without the words,and never stops at all. "

- Emily Dickinson

Odd and Onerous Observations

2007-11-20T16:21:00.000-06:00

Holidays at Heart

There is something about the advent of the holiday season that always seems to find me in an awkward emotional predicament.

I don't get super excited this time of year. So a few days ago, during one of my runs, I psychoanalyzed why this is...why it is that I am ambivalent this time of year.

Cultural Identity

Thanksgiving and Christmas are largely American traditions, and ones most immigrant families have embraced over time. But growing up, there were no Thanksgivings at the Nguyens. I mean, our ancestors weren't pilgrims who landed east to settle into this fledgling of a country, so mom and dad did not make any deal of it.

So what was thanksgiving to us? I think we would go to a Chinese restaurant and eat. Truth be told, it carried little significance. I think one year I actually spent it with a friend's family.

And Christmas? Sure we were raised Catholics, so the Jesus thing we got down. But the whole notion of Santa was spoiled by my older brothers, and there were no presents under the tree. Instead, the kids got to go to the toy store and pick our favorite toys. Not the same Christmas tradition as most.

Vegas Deja Vu

Holidays devoid of American traditions were evident last Christmas when I flew to Las Vegas to visit my parents. My childhood best friend, Michelle, also came to spend "Christmas" with the Nguyens.

We had a nice "Christmas Eve" dinner, Vietnamese and family style. Then Michelle and I hit the strip around 11pm, went to the Ghost Bar and a nightclub called Light at the Bellagio Hotel.

So I'm thinking there would be few if anyone out. Wrong. The place was packed with Asians and Middle Easterners. Yep, those who observed the holidays just like the Nguyens.

I think we left the hotel around 6am. Seems strange? Maybe. But holidays seem different to me.

Now I'm not trying to be a curmudgeon about the holidays... I find it a wonderful thing that this is the time of year to focus on family. That matters. But I try to treat anytime I see my family as a holiday... as a blessing.

Notwithstanding, I wish I was spending this thanksgiving in Seattle with "he who shall not be named."

Cheers and happy training!

"Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is. "- Williams James

Tri-less training, Commune Cooking

2007-11-18T22:23:00.000-06:00

A Hiatus Helping

It has been a few days since Pinkgurugal posted a blog to recount the inanities of my life. But there is good reason.

1) I have returned to the masses of those who "work-out" and not "train". I may work out 4-5 times a week for 1 to 1 1/2 hour a day...instead of that crazy ironman 15-25 hours a week...

2) Having divulged that, I have gained a few pounds. It's a simple math game. Eat more, exercise less= weight gain. Evercise more, eat less= weight loss.

I know, 2 or 3 pounds sounds like NOTHING, but it is when you are 4"11 or... okay 4"10 3/4.. it matters.

3) And I have happily "let go" of the HAVE to TRAIN neurosis associated with those used to our uncommonly excessive thoughts of physical inadequacies.

4) Ooh thats right, the Houston marathon is ,mmm.. 8 weeks away... oh whatever, i never train for these.

Notwithstanding, I feel like I finally have my life back and am not confined to the rigors of hard ironman training...

Pledging

Welcome to the newest member of the tri commune, we shall name "he who shall not be named".

Now mind you, this is a VERY exclusive club, so in order to be a member, there are some initiation requirements... like... mmmm

Tri Commune Cooking

We put HWSNBN to work. First order of business, make us his best meal... This Putanesca.... which apparently means "whore sauce"

HWSNBN's secret recipe includes an amalgam of olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and other yummy goodies. Now I understand that this may sound nc 17, however....

"Whore" or not, the tri commune happily lopped up this...honestly, probably, the BEST pasta I have eaten... kinda like the stuff you find in Italy...

Of course, other regulars joined in on this culinary affair. . tastes so good when it hit the lips...

Cheers and happy training!

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau

Tiger Talk

2007-11-12T18:51:00.000-06:00

Mai Lynh Lovin I know I have written about my adorable 4 1/2 year old niece in a previous blog, but this is my blog, and dammit, I love her so much I'm writing about her again.

Plus Papa Nguyen was in town for the weekend, so we had a sleepover at pinkgurugal's casa.

Friday night I taught Mai Lynh how to growl like a tiger. GRRRR! She was so scary she frightened her grandpa. I also told her I would take her to the zoo in the next few weeks, to which she precociously responded, "Don't forget, because I have a lot going on." Mai Lynh is a little me. She's very social, garrulous, and just downright sweet and silly. Okay enough already. Okay, so I like myself...mmmm a little too much. But I absolutely love my niece and father. Family matters. Cheers and happy training "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. " Sir Winston Churchill

Kelly Kudos

2007-11-11T11:42:00.000-06:00

BFFs

Outside of mmmm.... me, I write most about Kelly. She's my best friend, my sister soulmate. Chau and Kelly make "The Chelly." We are a statement, a lifestyle, a trend.

Over the weekend, Kelly and Liam headed to Clearwater, Florida for the ....

Yep, my studly galpal is that fast that she got a slot.

Now for you non-triathletes out there (sorry, you don't what you're missing)...this is like the superbowl of the half ironman race.

While the meager Ironstar half ironman officially ended my season a few weeks, this race ends hers.

A full race report will follow when I will ask The Chelly to be a guest writer, but here are her results.

HOLY SMOKIN SHIT!

Carrington, Kelly

1324/1181/946 (these are her ranks as she finished each part of race: swim, bike and run...notice how her rank just gets better and better and she passes 378 people!)

:40:44 SWIM

2:39:22 BIKE

1:38:05 RUN

5:04:04 TOTAL

Kelly, We are all SO proud of you. What an amazing race year it has been for you. Thank you for making this ironman journey with me. I love you!

Now let's go do some well deserved partying!

Cheers and happy training!

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." Abraham Lincoln

Career Comradery

2007-11-08T13:34:00.000-06:00

Television Tales I am still processing this whole ending my TV news career thing. I have unequivocal trust I'm doing the right thing. Having said that, I will dearly miss many things about this business.

The Men in My Life

Among them, the relationships I have with my colleagues, especially the photographers and engineers I've known since the beginning of my 15 year career, most of which has been spent in Houston save for Saipan, Guam and Atlanta.

This is Kevin Greer, Eddie McCain and Jaime Zamora. I have known Kevin and Jaime from my early days as a 22 year old writer at the ABC station. I remember shadowing these photographers when I was just a young cub aspiring to become a reporter. Some of them even helped me edit my resume tape together.

And shit, Jaime's once baby twin girls are now 14... time really does fly!! As for Eddie, he is an engineer at our station and runs the live truck. He calls me "Miss Chau" and aside from stuffing ourselves into a tiny live truck countless times to edit and beat deadlines, we've had some great, deep and personal conversations. There was a time in our lives we were enduring some similar personal ordeals. Next is is me, Craig Bell and Gus Pereyra. Craig is a brand new reporter at the ABC station, but Gus works with me. We work with many photographers, but Gus is among my favorite with whom to work. He calls me his little sister. And we share a love for cycling. In fact, Gustavo was the first person who took me for my first long ride on my bike. 47 miles and all I had was one gu. How things have changed... In corporate America, I presume your cohorts are limited to watercooler talk. Not in TV News. Not as a field reporter. You get close to these guys. You learn from them. You hear their life stories. They've heard mine, whether it be fun and silly, or serious and depressing. Man I'll miss these very human moments. We cover real life stories. On this day we covered a very terrible murder trial. But set aside work, we bond.

What an honor it is boys... keep doing the great work you do, and don't let middle management bring you down!

Cheers and happy training! "The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. " Carl Jung

Laying down some common cents

2007-11-06T17:31:00.000-06:00

Expensive Energy I am a coffee addict...a junkie, a bitch to a cup of Joe. I really shouldn't be, since I have way too much natural born energy and seem to be wired all the time. But for some reason, I want more. That's how I roll. Now I typically make my own coffee at the Tri commune, but today I was RUNNING WAY LATE to work thanks to he who shall not be named. So after doing a drive by at the bank ATM, I noticed a coffee shop called Maui Wowi. Cool, I'll try something different Holy Maui Wowi Money! This large cup of Nonfat, one Splenda latte costs Pinkgurugal $4.87. Let me repeat: $4.87!!!! Now I'm far from cheap, but think of all the things I could have for five bucks... Like a WHOLE lunch at my favorite Chinese restaurant China Garden. Like a six pack of beer. mmmm....beer Like a sandwich from Brown Bag Deli....mmm...egg sandwich. Like 3 bags of Swedish fish.... mmmm for long rides.... Like a spare tube...mmmm...when there's a flat Like a lot of crap!!!! Pinkgurugal goes down! I had to cover a murder trial today, so after the trial recessed for the day, I stayed back in the media editing room to lay down. No I wasn't taking a nap, but I tweaking my aching back. It always hurts, but it was especially sore today.

This is my massage therapy ball I NEVER leave home without. It's kind of like a tennis ball but is stronger. Basically I roll it and hold it in the sore areas of my back, but and legs... oooh....ahhh.... feels so good.

Not as good as a Cheryl Francisco massage, but it does the job on a crunch. Find me some carpet, and I'm down.

Cheers and happy training!

"Eternal delight and deliciousness will be his, who coming to lay him down, can say with his final breath--O Father!--chiefly known to me by Thy rod--mortal or immortal, here I die. I have striven to be Thine, more than to be this world’s, or mine own. Yet this is nothing: I leave eternity to Thee; for what is man that he should live out the lifetime of his God."

Moby Dick by Hermann Melville

A Show Stoppin Story

2007-11-05T21:22:00.001-06:00

Steppin' Out

I know they look like garden shoes and look dorky and granola, but Crocs Rock! Dorky and granola I do very well. Actually I do it best.

This is one of three pair I own, and wearing Crocs makes Pinkgurugal a happy camper. In fact, I pretty much wear them all the time, even at work....really! Here I am sitting on some curb at story whatever of the day, I don't remember.

Today I spent the day with roomie Liam riding around the park and stopping for Starbucks. It was so relaxed and nothing short of a perfect Monday off.

WHERE MY SHOE WENT?

Silly, silly stuff. Silly is fun though, especially with pictures! Cheers and happy training! "I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers." Mahatma Gandhi

An Entertaining Affair

2007-11-04T16:05:00.000-06:00

Halloween Party Pics (NC-17 Versions Only) Even though Pinkgurugal hasn't always been a big fan of Halloween, I happily dressed up this year with many of my pals.

That's me, in...ahem... let's just call it a cat-like outfit. Jane's Addiction had on a highly creative outfit... she's Michael Vick after the dogs attacked. I think she looks adorable.

John Robertson was a nun. He and his fiance Anna hosted a small party.

Liam went as the ugliest woman I have ever seen. Also at the party, Sugar Daddy Phil and Sugar Mama Natalie as Hugh Hefner and one of his bunnies. Then's there's Kelly. She's also dressed cat-like. This was the least exposing photo I found. I think she looks HOT in a black wig too!

Liam tried another look, but still looked...well, you be the judge.

And TriRyGuy threw on his trusty Indian suit. Scalp me baby!

Kids, let's do this again next year! :)

Cheers and happy training!

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" Ralph Waldo Emerson