Today’s been a good day…I went down to Donnelly Chocolates and got Richard to give me my molds back, and also bought a couple more toys from him–some chocolate shells for liquor balls (I plan to make some Armagnac liquor balls), and some molds for chocolate pastilles. I am now the proud owner of 14 high-quality plastic chocolate molds–two leaf-patterns, two different kinds of hearts, and some pastilles. I look forward to working with them.
I also got a GREAT interview with a rider, with a detailed description of what happened when she bonked on Day One. Bonking, as you may or may not know, is what happens when a cyclist doesn’t eat/drink enough, and winds up as an exhausted, emotional mess. In her case, she got dehydrated. She’s stopped riding and is just sitting there, looking out at the ocean, wondering why on earth she came out on the ride, when a Positive Pedaler (HIV+ rider) rides up and asks her if she’s OK. She bursts into tears and says, “I hate this, I have no idea why I thought I could do this, I just want to go HOME!” He calms her down and gets her to a medical vehicle, where they get her rehydrated and ready to ride again. (She rides 100+ miles the following day.)
Hmm. That was probably less than enlightening. Readers Digest condensed books tend to be like that. Believe me, the more detailed story was terrific, she told it well, and by the time I’m done dramatizing it, it’ll be powerful, too.
She also had a great story about being on the sag wagon–or rather, what it’s like to be injured and unable to continue. (Put briefly, it sucks.) Having been there, I know more or less what it’s like, but am glad to have found a rider who can describe it articulately.
And I got my 12″ white suri, and it’s lovely stuff–not the finest fiber I’ve ever held, but for an over-12″ staple, I can overlook a lot. I think it will make fine, strong lace yarn.
I have also won an epic battle with my Suzie Pro, which suddenly started acting up after a long period of being just fine. I had to change brake bands twice (finally wound up with a handspun one) but I have finally got the brake band tension down to something I can live with. Don’t ask me why it suddenly started being difficult. It’s never done that before.
I have also installed the reptile thermostat, which should keep my lovely Astarte at a nice even 83 degrees (with a slight temperature gradient). I used to have heating pads in strategic areas of the cage, but she would invariably go sit in the very coldest part of the cage, meaning she would be at room temperature–65 to 70 degrees. That’s too cold for a tropical boa, so she and Isis used to get respiratory infections. So I put my foot down, paved the cage in heating pads, and installed a thermostat. She’s going to be at the right temperature whether she likes it or not, dammit. (I hope she likes it.)
And I rode 20+ miles today. Didn’t make very good time, and it was a bit harder than perhaps it should have been, but I went along well and didn’t feel particularly tired on finishing. I’m starting to think (maybe, perhaps) of registering for this year’s AIDS Ride.
Tien
