Today's Episode Features...SURPRISE! Poor Planning.

On the agenda for today: daughter's soccer practice and husband's company picnic. Also I was going to bike to the gym for yoga and swimming.

Not on my personal agenda: 95 degree weather. Also not on my personal agenda: intelligence to check the weather report.

I was so tired I slept in past yoga and by time I got myself ready to go, I didn't have time to go swimming, either. I'd skipped out on going to soccer practice since I was going to meet my husband at the picnic by riding my bike there (the plan was to ride there, load the bike into his car and hitch a ride home). I decided to poke around some garage sales.

Stupidity intervention: never go to a garage sale on a bicycle.

The first sale I stopped at I found a $5 wagon--since I've been wanting something like it, but didn't want to spend a lot of money, I was thrilled--although had to ask if she could hold it until I could pick it up later. She did.

Then I stopped at another one, where I found a couple more things I'd have to come back and pick up later (although they were thrilled, so that worked out too).

Then I saw it: a stainless steel mini fridge. It's new and I didn't have quite enough for it on me, nor did I have any means to get it home, but she took all the cash I had as a "deposit" and I told her I'd be back between 2 and 3 to pick it up.

Went on my merry way to the picnic, where I had a hard time finding a place to lock up my bike, and eventually my husband and daughter also arrived. We had a yummy lunch and I got to tour the "clean room" where they put together pacemakers and other electronics.

We got to enter drawings for various prizes, but we had to be present to win--and they weren't doing the drawing until 3:00. It was 1:30 and HOT. I begged my husband to let me take the car to go pick up my garage sale finds and he entered the ping pong tournament (I later learned he didn't win a single game).

By time I went back to the garage sales to pick up my finds, the back of his car was so full I couldn't see out the rearview mirror (mostly because of the fridge).

It wasn't until I parked and walked off to go find him at the picnic again that I realized there would not be room for my bike in his car and I would be riding home.

Yeah, yeah, the exercise wasn't going to kill me. However, I was afraid the heat might. I was already pretty uncomfortable sitting in the shade, drinking icewater and pouring it on me. Then I had to leave the shade, strap on a helmet and backpack, and pedal.

It's not a long ride home and I did well for me, but it kinda reinforced that my Catalina goals are a bit far-fetched at the moment. (The Catalina bike course consists of three loops, half of which is a steady uphill--gentle, but steady, and I was poking along going up the hills into my neighborhood.)

I got home and immediately jumped into a cold shower to try and avoid a migraine. It totally worked. For an even better bonus, since my husband beat me home, he unloaded my new fridge and carried it into the house. It's still sitting in the front entryway, but it's in the house.

My daughter and I then headed out for what has become our Saturday night tradition. We grabbed some dinner, set up our seats and watched the outdoor movie put on for free by the city. We get back pretty late, but it is still a lot of fun. This week was Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which I was pleasantly surprised with. I don't think my daughter understood it at all.

So I'm still in need of daily stupidity interventions and didn't exactly plan today well, but there were no actual mishaps.

Which is new, and I'll take it.

Trying to Find Focus

I spent a lot of time last night thinking about Catalina. The entry fee, if I sign up right away, would be significantly reduced from last year. However, all the other costs would remain quite similar. I started adding things up, sat down and talked to my husband, and was told I could if I wanted to, but I'd have to figure out how to get it into the budget.

Realistically, Catalina is only 71 days away now. Between being sick for four months and then losing my motivation when I thought the event was cancelled, I'm a bit (and by "a bit" I mean "significantly") off track for meeting the goals I had set for this year.

I know I could complete the triathlon. I also know I could beat my time from last year--my new bike alone would help me do that, although I could improve on the run as well.

I'm really not sure I could take a full hour off my time though, which was my big goal. As for my weight, well, that's not on track to be at my goal either.

I started wondering if I was just making up excuses to not go. But there are two very major factors that all of this doesn't even encompass: 1) I won't be visiting my sister and her family as they are unlikely to be living in the area at that time and 2) by time I pay not just for the entry fee, but all the other fees around the trip (gas, hotels, food, ferry, parking), it really adds up.

I calculated it out--as reasonably as I could, and figure it will be at least $1200. I might be able to figure out how to get that into the budget--it's only $100 a month if I spread it out over a year--but there are a lot of other things we could do, either at $100 a month or at $1200 a year.

Shoot, if I did local events, that could even mean 12 triathlons a year. For the price of one visit to Catalina.

To add another complication, I had to give the judging assigner my availability. The weekend of Catalina is a weekend where there are two meets that are usually 2-day events. I'm not guaranteed to be assigned to one of them, but if I'm in California, there's no way I could do them, assigned or not.

In other words, after sleeping on it, I came to the decision this morning that financially, it would not be wise for me to go to Catalina. Furthermore, it would be somewhat selfish as I would be going on this trip totally alone. I'm unlikely to meet my goal of taking an hour off of my time because of where I am in my training, as negative as that sounds. I couldn't come up with a single good reason to go that would come anywhere close to countering the financial downside of going.

Until this afternoon.

When I started feeling like maybe I was just giving up.

I started thinking about how my motivation to make any kind of change, at all, was initially based around Catalina. The changes I have made have literally changed so many aspects of my life. I still deal with back pain, but it is more manageable now. I am much more active much more regularly (even if I'm not anywhere near any kind of training regimen). All of these are changes I made because I had the long-term goal of Catalina.

If I don't go, what is my goal? Next year? But will I say the same thing next year when it comes time to register? Would I ultimately put it off indefinitely, defeating the purpose?

If Catalina really is my "focal point," then it is completely worth the expense to go.

For anyone who thinks that long-term good health and longevity could be my focal points, let me tell you why that won't work for me: the last 6 years. I totally believe that those are good goals, but for me, they are not enough to get me off my butt in and of themselves. Even the hope of being able to go clothes shopping without drowning myself in an overdose of self-loathing isn't enough motivation for me to do anything big enough, long enough to make an impact.

Having impending physical tasks (the triathlon) actually does motivate me--or at least, significantly better than without.

Now my task is to find what that event will be.

The big question then is, will I remember to put it on my calendar?

For the Love of Monkeys

First of all, I have to say I can't take credit for the phrase that's in today's title. I totally stole it from someone I used to work with who used it all the time. It struck me as utterly hilarious, and when I came home and told my husband, he just looked at me blankly, like he didn't get it. When I explained that the phrase is a twist on the usual, "For the love of God," he paused.

Then he said, "Well, if you're an evolutionist, I suppose it's the same thing."

I Still. Can. Not. Get. My. Calendar. Straight.

AAARRRGHH!

Today was the preschool picnic for my daughter. In my defense (which I totally don't even deserve to be defended at this point), the gym I used to coach has a coach that was in a serious car accident. The details of her medical condition (of which I only partially know) aren't being released yet, but it is quite serious as the accident happened several weeks ago and she's still in the hospital--and probably will be for awhile more. Obviously, she's not coaching, so they've had some gaps to fill. I've been doing what I can for them until they get permanent help hired and today was one of the days I said I would cover.

Also in my defense, I haven't been able to get my phone calendar working and am seriously considering not using my phone for a calendar again and going back to paper because it is just so much easier.

In other words, I sort of have an excuse for her missing the picnic, but not really, as if I'd realized yesterday (and possibly even this morning) I would have been able to have one of her friends take her there. At the very least, I would have emailed to inform people I wouldn't be attending.

Instead, I dropped her off at the neighbor's house and when I got home and checked my email, discovered my screw up.

Screw up number 37 million this week, if anyone is counting.

This afternoon, I did manage to get a little physical activity in. The neighbor and I finally managed to coordinate a bike trip on the loop downtown she's been telling me about.

Get this: I remembered everything. I had no flats. I got my rear wheel on and off all by myself. AND I don't even have a migraine. Granted, after my last several bicycle escapades (forgotten lock, flats, getting lost, more flats, missing trailer pieces, forgotten shoes, forgotten sunglasses), I have not only made an extensive "biking 'to-pack' list" on my phone, but I now stand at the car and make sure that all the items on the list are actually inside the vehicle.

It wasn't until we were driving back and I was telling my neighbor that I'd booked a massage client for tomorrow evening, that I realized I'd screwed up again, as she asked me, "What about Project Runway?"

Oh yeah, our standing Thursday night TV date, where I go over to her house to mooch the air conditioning and cable TV to watch my favorite show.

Oh, for the love of monkeys. Can I not get anything right?!

Well, Poo.

And by "poo," yes, I mean excrement.

I'd just mentally signed off on NOT doing the triathlon in California because it wasn't happening and figured that's probably better in terms of affordability anyway.

And today I got an email announcing that it is, in fact, ON, and it's a week earlier than initially planned. With the added bonus that the registration fee is $15 off if I get it in within the next week.

Hmm.

There's one little piece to add to my dilemma. I may not have a place to stay on the mainland around the time of the triathlon. My sister (whom I usually stay with) may or may not be living there and won't even know until about a month beforehand. Her husband is military and his next deployment is to Japan and the whole family is going.

So, if I make reservations now, I need to figure out several pieces: do I plan on going and just make it a "shorter" trip (i.e., no sister-visit time, just to Catalina and back), but spend a couple more days on the island, do I take my daughter, who do I take to watch her, do I leave her behind and who do I get to watch her, and are any of my goals I set last November even attainable at this point as although my back is considerably better, my training levels have been pathetic to absent to the point that my endurance is, well, poo.

Hello! My Name is Dee Lusional.

My neighbor and I had spent a week or two talking about doing this fundraising bike ride that goes across the major bridges downtown. There are options of a 6-, 8-, or 10-bridge ride. We'd mostly talked about doing the 8-bridge, but as it got closer and I realized just HOW heavy the trailer is (especially loaded with my daughter, a spare tire, pump, extra water, and other gear), we talked much more about the 6-bridge ride, which is a 13-mile course.

Thursday night, while watching Project Runway, we decided that it was 1) too early, 2) too much to spend on a "casual" ride and 3) would probably be really crowded. So we planned to NOT go and just take a ride downtown on another day.

I sorta kinda forgot to mention to my husband, who I'd asked to register us, that we had changed our mind about the ride. Fortunately, he only registered me for the 6-bridge. I told my neighbor and we proceeded to make plans to leave at 7:30 in the morning.

Also on my agenda, as it has been for the past several weeks, was movie night--there's a small park downtown where they show movies for free on Saturday nights. I've been taking my daughter (and the same neighbor's son) for a couple of weeks and last night was no exception.

This is where I needed my first stupidity intervention. We typically get home from the movie between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. It usually takes me an hour or so to wind down and get to sleep, and I had to get up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready. If you've done the math, you know that provided me with a maximum of 7 hours sleep--which while I functioned on far less while in school and at various points in my life, is really not good for me now.

I'd actually packed everything in the neighbor's car before going to the movie last night--bikes, helmets, shoes, trailer, spare parts, course info, the works. The only things I didn't pack were my wallet, keys, phone, water bottles, and stuff I was going to wear. Although I've actually started making "packing lists" on my phone since I seem to be so forgetful lately, they only serve me well if everything I will need is on them.

Time for stupidity intervention number 2: sunglasses were not on my list and it was a GORGEOUS day. I realized this, of course, as we arrived in the parking garage to park.

We got to the course start without any difficulty and finally started riding close to 9:00 a.m. There were a ton of families and kids, parents yelling at their kids to "ride straight" which I hadn't thought much about until I got cut off by a short person whose parents were not yelling at him.

Okay, I LOVE my bike. I've said this many times now and I still do. However, I clearly had not had enough practice riding with the trailer. I say this because by time I calculate how much weight I was actually hauling, it was probably close to 50 pounds. Which flat out negates the "fastness" I've felt riding this bike as compared to others. Thank goodness I wasn't hauling it behind one of the other ones or I'm not sure I would have made it.

It was actually a very cool ride--they close down all or part of 10 river-crossing bridges in the city. Not so much fun if you have somewhere to be and need to cross the river or even just get through town, but very neat for anyone who just wants a view of the city from the top deck of the interstate bridges. It was interesting hearing people on the ride saying things like "I never realized this bridge was angled--it feels flat in the car!" and "I had no idea how HIGH this is!" The views from the bridges are quite spectacular and they even had bands playing and vendor booths for people to stop at on the two interstate bridges.

My daughter was sound asleep for about the last half of the ride and only woke up as I crossed the finish. Perhaps because of the incredible noise and chaos. We rode back to the car then loaded up and got ready to head home.

Stupidity intervention number 3: neither of us thought to map a route away from the event, even though we'd mapped one there. While I can get myself out of downtown any number of ways, we had the whole bike course/freeway closure to deal with. This might not seem like a big deal because we'd just been on the course and had a pretty good idea of what was open and closed, but it actually was. Here's what we had to deal with:

1) We couldn't get down to the waterfront access to the freeway because the course was blocking us southbound.
2) We couldn't hop on the freeway south from the west side of the river because it was closed.
3) We could get on the freeway south from the east side of the river, but we weren't actually sure which bridges were open to get there, or if we could even get to those bridges.
4) We weren't really sure where we could go.

We decided to just head west, where we knew there was no bike course. We looped way around the southwest corner (and a suburb) of the city to take probably a 15-mile detour to get home.

Time for stupidity intervention #4. I added up any number of risk factors for a migraine, and since it only takes one, I had a fierce headache. Thankfully, this time it didn't make it all the way to my stomach, but I did end up taking a 7-hour LEAVEMEALONEANDBEQUIET!! nap.

I'm feeling better now, although I'm annoyed because I'd made plans with a friend to go see The Help, which I've been waiting impatiently to go see, and had to cancel on her, and she'd already bought tickets. It wasn't until I was talking to her and she mentioned, "Yeah, it was pretty bright out today," that it occurred to me that forgetting my sunglasses probably amplified the effects of the sun, dehydration, and general overdoing it.

So good news is that we did it and I made it. Bad news is I still can't remember to pack everything I need. Or handle anything resembling moderation. Or manage to keep all the appointments on my calendar.

If This Is a Trend, I Don't Want To Be Trendy

Holy Flakebrain, Batman.

I have a calendar with things marked on it. Really and truly. But somehow they've been--well--off lately.

Last night, just before bed, my neighbor posted on Facebook that she was going to do a 30-mile bike ride today. I asked if I could come along and by time we worked everything out, she was going to start riding at 9:30 this morning, I was going to take my daughter to her last ballet class at 9:00 and join her around 10:30 on her second 10-mile loop and do 20 miles with her.

A little complicated, but doable.

Unless, of course, I'm me, and can't remember to pack everything, schedule everything, and get them all together at the same time and place they need to be. Which lately, I can't.

But, since I am me, I simply think I have my stuff together, and happily take off for what should be a fun-filled day.

Today being no exception to my recent history, I pack up the following things in my car: laptop to keep myself busy during ballet, daughter with ballet supplies, bicycle, trailer, helmets, spare tube, spare tire, pump, snacks, sunscreen, and plenty of water. This is in addition to my full-stocked "mom purse" which weighs damn near 50 pounds, no exaggeration.

We arrive at ballet and I'm amazed that there is a ton of parking despite that we arrived later than usual (parking is very scarce there). We get to the door and it's locked. Because apparently ballet was a 5-week class, not 6.

Oh, well. I think. I'll just meet my friend at the start of her bike ride and do the whole thing with her.

Which is when I realize I forgot my bike shoes. Which wouldn't be horribly terrible since I've ridden my clipless* pedal bike in tennis shoes, except that I'm wearing Moroccan leather sandals.

*I learned that what I had been calling "clip" pedals (where the shoe has a latching mechanism that connects to the pedal) are actually "clipless" pedals. "Clip" pedals have a kind of a toe basket device that the toe of the shoe slides into, but there is no latching mechanism.

Plus, this is 30 miles and even if I had tennis shoes (which I didn't), I didn't have socks, and 30 miles is different than the 2-3 miles I've ridden without my bike shoes. I didn't think it would be much fun.

So I quickly call my neighbor (who I was going to bike with) to see if she'd left home--she had, but she turned around for me. Then I called my husband, to tell him to leave my shoes and socks on the porch. He didn't answer. Tried the home phone. No answer. Tried the cell phone. Finally he answered, but he had already left for work.

Called my neighbor, let her know she could turn around again. Apologized profusely.

Passing the horribly backed-up traffic I knew I'd have to fight to get back to where we were going to bike, I decided to skip the bike ride and take my daughter to one of her preschool park playdates. I also decided to stop at home, so picked up the dog.

Unfortunately, my daughter, whether upset at no ballet or just because she's four and the world doesn't meet her demands, had a meltdown. She threw a chair, so I picked her up and put her in time out, which is in the corner by the front door. She immediately started throwing things and kicking the wall and the door.

I told her that I would start her time when she had settled down, which resulted in several "I don't like you ANY MORE" proclamations and more wall-kicking. She would settle down slightly, I would go check, and she'd be sneaking out of the corner.

I'd replace her in the corner, which would start another round of throwing/kicking/"I'm never going to love you EVER AGAIN IN THE WHOLE WORLD" proclamations.

I was stuck. Usually she takes her time-outs with a fair amount of grace (not pleased, but relatively calmly), and we're able to quickly move on.

After a half hour, I was feeling like my discipline tool was NOT working, and I was at a loss.

Whether or not this was a good idea, I don't know, but since I didn't want to spank her--correction, since it was taking every microgram of personal control not to spank her--I let her know that until she settled down, I would be taking away toys.

I started with her pink bouncy dog, Wahoo. Then her bicycle. Then ALL of her stuffed toys, including her pillow pet, at which point she yelled out, "MOMMY! I'M BEING QUIET NOW!"

True, the kicking had stopped.

So I told her I wanted a little more quiet time out time and then she could come see me and we could talk. After a few minutes, she came over, apologized for throwing the chair, and I explained that there were ways she could get her toys back. One of which was by doing things the FIRST TIME I asked (on a different note, this issue has been driving me NUTS lately). I asked her if she wanted to practice and found a little pick up chore for her. When it was done, I asked which toy she wanted back. Wahoo. I got him out. She was so proud of herself and THRILLED.

A few minutes later, I asked her to help me with a couple of things, and when she did immediately, I let her pick more toys to have back.

It worked really well. I'm completely enjoying this right now because I have a feeling that 1) it won't last (although I'm hoping it will, for at least a little while) and 2) I have a hunch I'm going to look back at this when she's a teenager and think, "...and I thought I had problems then? SHEESH!"

We then went to the park playdate and when we got home, had lunch out on the deck and played dice games. Of course by, "played dice games," I mean, "she rolled the dice I told her to when it was her turn." And she beat me. Repeatedly.

When she started acting up again, I sent her off to a nap which--get this--she went straight to the first time I asked.

I may not be able to figure out where I'm supposed to be when, and my kid is thoroughly being four and doing all the boundary-testing that implies. In a flash of insight (which occurred as we needed to be going to bed), I created a good behavior chart, with daily categories for various things.

We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Welcome to Earth, Space Cadet

Tuesdays are typically kind of a busy day for my daughter and I. We have gymnastics in the morning and I usually schedule a chiropractic appointment immediately afterward, since they're somewhat close to each other and both far from me. Then, depending on what's going on, I run errands, we come home, I put her down for a nap if there is time, and we head off to swimming lessons.

All of that was on the agenda for today.

What was NOT on the agenda was one of the most obstructed drives to gymnastics we've ever had. It is faster to list what did NOT get in our way, so I will do so now:

1) train,
2) school bus (it's not the school year though), and
3) livestock.

I have this crazy long backroads route I take to get to gymnastics which even though it is nearly 10 miles longer than the 19-mile shortest route, it is usually 10-20 minutes faster--less stoplights--although usually is the key word here since these are back roads and they do go through farming community.

So I start along my route and one of my detour roads is "closed to through traffic" for construction. I turn around and head back on a semi-back road route. Where I'm stuck in slow traffic and finally realize it's because there's a very recent motorcycle accident--so recent that had I gone that way in the first place, I would have missed it, and the police have not yet arrived, which they do while I'm waiting, and block the road. Now my only option is to go on an enormous loop to try to get to the shortest route, or see if I can get through the supposedly blocked road I tried in the first place--which I was actually able to do.

Within about two minutes, I'm stuck behind a double-length truck carrying wood that is going--no joke--25 in a 55 zone. After nearly 10 minutes behind him (it's a fast road, but not one that there's any place to pass--and where there is, not room to pass something quite that long), he turned off.

Relieved, and thinking I *might* still be able to make it to her class on time, I navigate through the turns of my back route until I get to where it opens up into a high-speed zone and...I get stuck behind farm equipment doing about 10 in a 55 zone.

Somehow, I manage to keep my comments "clean" for the little one in the back seat and manage to only repeat, "You've GOT to be KIDDING me!" Which she then starts repeating and thinks it is HILARIOUS.

If I weren't so annoyed (and now convinced I will be late), I would have been amused.

Farm equipment finally pulls over (in fairness, he did so as soon as there was safe space to do so). I gratefully get on my way and call the gym (using my hands-free headset, don't worry) to let them know we'll be late for class, but we seem to be actually moving now.

I get off the phone and...traffic is backed up because a pickup lost a bunch of PVC pipe in the middle of the road.

Get past that, and I'm stuck behind an elderly gentleman who appears to be lost, but that who I am able to pass in a relatively short time.

We arrive just as class is starting, miraculously.

After class, we go to my doctor, run enough errands that there is not time for a nap when we get home, I get the bike and trailer all hooked up and bike over to swimming lessons.

The pool is closed. I knew that there was one day that there was no swimming, but I thought it was last week, and stayed home from the pool. Turns out it was this week, so we had no swimming two weeks in a row.

I rode back home and put my daughter down for a nap while I tried to figure out how/why I messed up our schedule, and feeling like a flake since it feels like I can't keep anything straight lately.

Genius Material. Right Here.

I've been slightly more than just absent on this blog lately.

I've been fairly absent in terms of training and motivation.

To make a long story short, the triathlon I'd set my goals around and planned to return to this year isn't happening. Add that to cost and priorities financially and I'm not headed to California this November.

This sucks in a whole lot of ways.

The biggest problem for me is I've totally lost my focus. My back really started acting up on the trip to California--combine a couple of 17 hour drives with a bunch of other factors and I started taking my pain medication again--yep, the same stuff that gave me migraines that I had to quit taking back in December. The migraines didn't kick in until after I got home and they were doozies, with all of the unpleasant symptoms from before, although fortunately I didn't have to leave any biohazards out in public this time.

Prior to my trip to California, I'd managed to get my chiropractic visits down to once a month and while I totally love Amazing Dr. Amy, it was nice not needing to see her.

I've been trying to rebuild my back, without pain medication this time, and it's going better than before, but I've just been so disheartened by my loss of focus that instead of making progress, I'm now playing catch up to where I was.

Judging season for gymnastics is just around the corner and I don't have meet assignments yet. I'm holding off on scheduling any more events until I know when I'm judging.

While I'm listing excuses, I've had some problems scheduling time to go work out. Some of it is just simply that I don't like going in the middle of the day and having to wait for equipment or a lane to swim in. Some of it is that I don't always have someone to watch my daughter. Some of it is that when I plan a night workout, it magically conflicts with my husband being gone at the same time I want to or with my daughter's bedtime.

Most of it is simply making excuses and a lack of motivation. Which frustrates me, and I have flashes of inspiration and motivation and then they fizzle out before any significant action is taken.

However, there are a few things I've been working on. I'm trying to ride my bike more places. That, I do have a valid excuse for, which is that I've had SIX *bleeping* flat tires now, the last of which was more frustrating than any of the others because I replaced the tube, the tire, checked the rim and rim tape for problems, and got it all set. The next day when I went to ride it, it was flat. I hadn't gone ANYWHERE on it and I literally carried it from the living room, where I fixed it, to the driveway, where I got on and discovered the flat. I gave up and drove that day. And went and bought another tube and tire.

(My tube and tire replacement costs could literally pay for a single triathlon event fee now--even a mid-high range one.)

Because I had so many problems getting moving again, I actually (somewhat intelligently for a change) decided to start slowly, by taking the dog on long WALKS and not running or trying to run, since I tend to go out and overdo it. That's been one good thing.

Then today, I finally got several pieces in place for a new piece of an exercise plan. My sister had left a bike trailer at my dad's house last Christmas. Dad was complaining about it just sitting out in the barn (not that he has any animals that need the space). My sister said I could have it if I wanted. Of course!

This conversation happened a month or two ago and just this past weekend, my dad and I were at a family event and he brought the trailer for me.

I was so excited when I got home. I immediately hauled it into the living room and began to set it up. Guess what? BOTH tires were flat. Oh well, I'm used to this now. I left them and got the whole thing set up, the wheels on it, and . . . couldn't figure out how on earth to attach it to my bike.

I emailed my sister, who emailed me a link to instructions online and I quickly discovered my problem. I was missing a piece that attaches to the rear skewer. After some more emailing and phone calls, we figured out that the trailer had last been attached to my dad's bike, and the part was still there.

I met up with him today and retrieved the part. When I got home, I managed to get it on my bike, get the trailer attached, fix all three flats (I hadn't fixed the sixth flat on my bike yet), and then took it for a test ride (empty) around the neighborhood. I kinda had to chuckle when a very kind and concerned individual yelled out that my trailer was empty. I said, "Yeah, I know. I thought I'd take it for a test drive before I put my kid in it--it's my first time riding with this attached."

His face changed from concern to impressed as he said, "Oh! That's a good idea!"

Shortly after I got home from my test ride, my husband came home. I dressed my daughter for Pajama Storytime at the Library, loaded up an extra tire and 2 tubes (with my luck, I figured I may well need more than that, but it was all the spares I had), my good large pump (with 4 tires to be concerned about, figured that would be a heck of a lot easier), our overdue library books, and outfitted my bike with lights. I loaded up my daughter with her helmet, strapped on my own helmet, and rode on my merry way to the library.

I was feeling fairly clever for being able to plan ahead, master getting everything together, and arrive on time. I was congratulating myself on my genius capabilities.

I unloaded everything, lined up the bike and trailer with the bike rack, pulled out the library books, got our helmets off, took all the parts off my bike that could potentially be stolen (computer, lights) and went to lock it up. This was the first time that I realized that my bike lock was still on the other bike--the uncomfortable one I rode a couple of weeks ago when I took my daughter to the Art Splash. Suddenly not feeling so genius.

I called my husband and begged him to retrieve the lock and bring it to us. My other options were to ride home (and miss Pajama storytime) or hook everything back up, ride to the bike store, buy a new lock, ride back, and miss most of Pajama Storytime. He was not thrilled, but bailed me out anyway.

The library is not a long distance and the ride there was easy. Because it's downhill, mostly.

The ride home is the same distance, but not so easy because it's uphill, mostly, or sure as heck feels like it.

Granted, I was towing a 30-pound kid in a 10-pound trailer, with several pounds of bike gear in it as well. And much as I love my new bike, there are no "granny gears" on it, so I literally had to stand up to pedal--in the easiest gear--to get up a couple of the teeny tiny moderate hills in my neighborhood at four miles an hour.

Pathetic.

In good news, even though it was a short little pathetic ride, it was actually a challenge for me. Meaning that I had to push myself some, I got my heart rate up, my muscles were burning, I was tired--but I don't feel like I overdid it.

So maybe, just maybe, I'm learning. Or at least not making quite as many mistakes.

Aside the lock, that is.