The List of Things....

So recently I've had to cancel several events. For various reasons, I'm no longer going to participate in that ski race I was talking about, nor am I going to the Valley of the Sun Stage Race that I only recently announced I'd be going to (to be fair, my decision to go was obviously impulsive, while my decision to cancel the trip was much more sensible). I feel extremely flaky. I know your hopes are dashed -- trust me, mine are too. I'm sorry. The only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I've got a VERY full calendar coming my way, and so if we can all be patient for just a smidge longer, I'll be embarking on many an adventure worthy of both our time on this blog. So in order to cheer you up, I've gathered a small list of things I AM doing in the next several weeks:

This weekend:

It's going to be a big weekend: I've got a concert AND a 4-H cavy (AKA guinea pig) and rabbit show lined up. The concert is tomorrow night at Neumos, a band called the Album Leaf. They play really chilled-out, dreamy grooves that border on being trite, but really remind me of my youth in Santa Fe. Plus this is a rest week for me, and this should be a concert I can handle: the music is far too relaxed to really dance to, at most I'll do a little swaying. The 4-H show is in Issaquah at the Pickering Barn. For those who don't know, in a past life, I was a competitive guinea pig breeder. I haven't been to one of these utterly bizarre events in over a decade, so I'm a little nervous; however, they tell me judging guinea pigs is like riding a bike -- once you learn, you never forget.

Next Week:

I'll be going up to Mission Ridge in Wenatchee to work the industry demo for Black Diamond. Every year, for two days, the mountain is only open for industry (back country ski touring) insiders. It's a chance to all the shop owners to get a sneak peak at what kind of awesome skis they can buy for next season. I'll spend two days furiously adjusting ski bindings for shop owners, and trying my best to explain the virtues and characteristics of all the different Black Diamond skis.

Next Month:

Here's where things really start cookin' with gas. I kick off the month of March with an extended weekend trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. If I time things right, I'll be in dire need of some rest from the bike (meaning I have some hard weeks of training ahead of me), so this trip will fall more in the "pleasure" category. I anticipate lots of the following activities: eating ridiculous amounts of the best food on the face of the earth, salsa dancing, hiking, gallery hopping, and reconnecting with old friends. It will be glorious. I'll return from that just in time to gear up for the first big racing trip of the year: San Dimas and Redlands. San Dimas is a quick little uphill TT, nasty circuit race, and 90 min. crit. Redlands is the first race of the NRC calendar, and I'm very excited. Two road races, a TT and a crit. Yum! I've never done this race before, and new races are always fun. This will be the first race the HB Cycling Team goes to in full force, and an excellent kick-off for our season. By then, I can guarantee that I'll be a full order of magnitude more antsy to race than I am now. Lord grant me patience.