We made it to Vermont…VICTORY!!! Arrived Saturday night (we were originally going to camp, but then it started raining, and raining, and raining, and thought that might not be such a good idea) then got up early Sunday and drove down to Mt. Snow for a mtn bike race. Needless to say, riding mtn bikes in the humidity after being in the car for a week was not such a pleasant experience. However, I managed to finish two out of three laps, Caley only finished one out of four ha! Creamies on the way home and a then sleep!
I'm excited to check out Burlington in these next two days before we head down to Massachusetts for the stage race. Really, when you think about it, we're not actually in Burlington for that long.
Oh, I forgot to mention the stop in Penn. We stayed with Caleys grandparents on his dads side for a night, and they have the most amazing house ever!!! It's an old barn that Frank, his grandpa, converted into a passive solar/composting/amazing/wonderful/peaceful/healing/great home. Lila, his grandma, has a wonderful library with an attached bedroom where we stayed. It was soooo sooo wonderful to wake up in that lovely bright sunny cozy room.
Today, the plan is to ride up Mt. Philo…should be fun, then check out Burlington, and go to the lake!
I’ll check in soon
Ciao,
Megan
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Chicago
Finally in Chicago!!! It's been an absolutely wonderful past few days. We left Durango in the wee hours of the morning, and with several enjoyable stops for gas and lunch (we cooked at a campground) we made it to Nebraska with lots of light left in the sky. After braving the bugs for an hour or so, we settled down in the tent to watch the million fireflies and watch some Scrubs episodes. Man we are hooked on that show...:)
Today began much the same, coffee from the french press at 6:00am, shared with a fellow camper who is doing a bike tour around Nebraska... We stopped again somewhere in Iowa for lunch. They have really nice rest stops it turns out; I guess you'd have to with a major artery interstate.
Here in Chicago we are staying with some old family friends of Caley's. They are wonderful people, the mom, Melanie, is totally Greek and wonderful. The son, Daniel, will be in sixth grade next year and is one of the more intelligent and genuinely nice boys I've met in a long time. He absolutely loves Caley and is probably going to stay up way too late tonight playing video games with him:) We had a great dinner in downtown Wilmette which is an exceedingly rich little village. After eating we walked on the shores of lake Michigan which is so incredibly huge you can't even see the other side!! Wow! The beach is amazing and the water is cool enough that you could swim for exercise.
I'm soooooo excited for tomorrow. We're going to have a quaint breakfast at one of Caley's old favorites, head to the beach for a little, maybe ride the train down to a nearby town, have some lunch, then go over to the velodrome for some bike riding...scary! I also want to go to Target to get a new swim suit, one like Caitlins new teal green one...I am a copycat, I admit it:)
Well, I'm going to sign off, the sight with all our pictures is www.onthewaytosomewhere.blogspot.com I'm pretty sure...I'll check on that:)
ciao,
Megan
Today began much the same, coffee from the french press at 6:00am, shared with a fellow camper who is doing a bike tour around Nebraska... We stopped again somewhere in Iowa for lunch. They have really nice rest stops it turns out; I guess you'd have to with a major artery interstate.
Here in Chicago we are staying with some old family friends of Caley's. They are wonderful people, the mom, Melanie, is totally Greek and wonderful. The son, Daniel, will be in sixth grade next year and is one of the more intelligent and genuinely nice boys I've met in a long time. He absolutely loves Caley and is probably going to stay up way too late tonight playing video games with him:) We had a great dinner in downtown Wilmette which is an exceedingly rich little village. After eating we walked on the shores of lake Michigan which is so incredibly huge you can't even see the other side!! Wow! The beach is amazing and the water is cool enough that you could swim for exercise.
I'm soooooo excited for tomorrow. We're going to have a quaint breakfast at one of Caley's old favorites, head to the beach for a little, maybe ride the train down to a nearby town, have some lunch, then go over to the velodrome for some bike riding...scary! I also want to go to Target to get a new swim suit, one like Caitlins new teal green one...I am a copycat, I admit it:)
Well, I'm going to sign off, the sight with all our pictures is www.onthewaytosomewhere.blogspot.com I'm pretty sure...I'll check on that:)
ciao,
Megan
Monday, June 23, 2008
Update
Lot's of happenings in my life since I last posted! I crashed on my mtn bike, but finished the 2+ hour ride, first meeting of team Velox, worked my last day in the lab, got accepted into Dr. Bill Black's lab for grad school, left Fort Collins for the beginning of an epic summer road trip and adventure, picked up my sister in Durango, went to Telluride Bluegrass for four extremely hot, wonderful days, and now one day to chill back in Durango before heading east!:)
I expect to put up a ton of pictures, or maybe just a link to the blog Caley and I are going to keep, with just pictures and explanations...or at least, that's the vision.
Ok, more later, I have to go get a passport....
ciao,
Megan
I expect to put up a ton of pictures, or maybe just a link to the blog Caley and I are going to keep, with just pictures and explanations...or at least, that's the vision.
Ok, more later, I have to go get a passport....
ciao,
Megan
Friday, June 13, 2008
Random Thoughts, Work Ending, Grad School Issues
Here again, bored at work, completely out of things to do. Caley dropped me off this morning, so I have no way of getting home until he's done which won't be until around 6 because he has to go to the bank after he gets off....LAME!!! The reason we are driving the car lately happens to be a dear dog named Carter. We are babysitting while Brian, Caley's boss, is out of town. Carter is a boxer, and is one of those dogs that's so ugly he's cute:) Last night James and his girlfriend Mia brought over Mia's dog, Umay, to play. The two of them had a grand ole time romping around. Carter got tuckered out after about 5 minutes:) It's a good test for us though; I want a dog soooooo bad and after living with Carter, I know I could do it, but also know that I won't have enough time until at least half way through the year. Also, if plans for moving to Europe ever actually work out, moving a dog would not be so easy. Or just traveling around Europe for that matter....
I just said goodbye to Scott, PhD student I've been working with for the last two years. He's off to Atlanta, GA for some conference, and I have two more days of work before I leave. It's kind of sad, he's been a great boss, and I've learned a lot. We've developed a great working relationship and I would consider him a friend I could go to if I ever needed anything in the way of advice or a letter of rec or anything like that. We've had some great conversations over the past two years (mostly when we're both procrastinating...) He's Mormon, so I definitely got exposed to some different viewpoints than my own, but that's good for anyone. Lately he's been giving me a lot of relationship advice which I really truly appreciate. He's been married for 10 years coming up this month I think, and he's so much closer to my age than the parents, for example, that he can relate to things we are going through. Not like Caley and I encounter things married people do, but just stuff like how to treat each other fairly and how to work through problems etc. In any case, it's nice to have older people to talk to about that kind of thing.
I've been dealing with some stress about my grad position next fall. Things are pretty much falling apart in the Titus lab, and I'm almost certain now that I won't be able to do my research with them. I've been in touch with the department head though, she's an old teacher of mine and actually oversees Scott's project, and she recognizes that the department already made a commitment to me and that we will figure out a solution. Still, I'm leaving in five days, and all this will have to be through email and phone while I'm gone. I NEED a job when I get back in order to pay for food, utilities, etc, so I'm kind of nervous. I have confidence it will all work out. I just really really really want a lab that will be supportive and actually want me. I kind of feel like I did when my first lab professor dumped me when she went on sabbatical and then dumped me again when she got back because of lack of funding. However, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, maybe this will too.
Well, I'll keep you all updated!
ciao,
Megan
I just said goodbye to Scott, PhD student I've been working with for the last two years. He's off to Atlanta, GA for some conference, and I have two more days of work before I leave. It's kind of sad, he's been a great boss, and I've learned a lot. We've developed a great working relationship and I would consider him a friend I could go to if I ever needed anything in the way of advice or a letter of rec or anything like that. We've had some great conversations over the past two years (mostly when we're both procrastinating...) He's Mormon, so I definitely got exposed to some different viewpoints than my own, but that's good for anyone. Lately he's been giving me a lot of relationship advice which I really truly appreciate. He's been married for 10 years coming up this month I think, and he's so much closer to my age than the parents, for example, that he can relate to things we are going through. Not like Caley and I encounter things married people do, but just stuff like how to treat each other fairly and how to work through problems etc. In any case, it's nice to have older people to talk to about that kind of thing.
I've been dealing with some stress about my grad position next fall. Things are pretty much falling apart in the Titus lab, and I'm almost certain now that I won't be able to do my research with them. I've been in touch with the department head though, she's an old teacher of mine and actually oversees Scott's project, and she recognizes that the department already made a commitment to me and that we will figure out a solution. Still, I'm leaving in five days, and all this will have to be through email and phone while I'm gone. I NEED a job when I get back in order to pay for food, utilities, etc, so I'm kind of nervous. I have confidence it will all work out. I just really really really want a lab that will be supportive and actually want me. I kind of feel like I did when my first lab professor dumped me when she went on sabbatical and then dumped me again when she got back because of lack of funding. However, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, maybe this will too.
Well, I'll keep you all updated!
ciao,
Megan
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Salsa Dancing
I would first like to advertise Tuesday night salsa dancing at The Rio, starts at 7:30pm costs $3 and is a barrel o' fun.
Second, I would also like to explain why salsa dancing is no longer as fun for me as it used to be...
When I first started salsa dancing, roughly Aug. 29, 2006, I was searching for a place and an activity where I could feel accepted, beautiful, talented, and confident. Swing dancing didn't quite do it, they're way to clichy for that:) Anyway, Salsa was so fun because I could be surrounded by guys who thought I was all of the above, and it was great for my confidence and probably a bit of an ego boost as well. Plus I got to dress up in all my cute skirts and tops and wear heels, normally I'm not the type of girl who ever dresses up like that. Sometimes it's fun to act feminine and let the guys ask you to dance, and not be offended when you're treated like a woman. I would go dancing, then go grab ice cream at Walrus and walk around Old Town by myself. I used to call this "taking myself on a date." I enjoyed it, it was a way for me to get out, away from Blaire and Agatha (two ex-friends) and I truly enjoyed being alone, watching people, just thinking about stuff. Now, however, I have great friends, and a great boyfriend, I don't need to "take myself on dates" anymore. I don't need to show off for all the slightly creepy dudes who go to salsa every week, I don't need all the extra attention from strangers to boost my confidence (although I still do struggle with self confidence a lot...). The people I care about most aren't there to share the fun of dancing, so suddenly I feel alone and unfulfilled by an activity that used to bring me so much enjoyment.
In any case, if I could ever get some of them to go with me it could be good again, but for now, it just reminds me of a time in my life that was pretty hard. I had to try so hard to convince myself of my worth-while-ness (not a word I'm sure), it's almost painful to remember.
That all said, I encourage anyone to try out some salsa dancing for themselves. Especially if you're in need of a little confidence boost!:)
ciao,
Megan
Second, I would also like to explain why salsa dancing is no longer as fun for me as it used to be...
When I first started salsa dancing, roughly Aug. 29, 2006, I was searching for a place and an activity where I could feel accepted, beautiful, talented, and confident. Swing dancing didn't quite do it, they're way to clichy for that:) Anyway, Salsa was so fun because I could be surrounded by guys who thought I was all of the above, and it was great for my confidence and probably a bit of an ego boost as well. Plus I got to dress up in all my cute skirts and tops and wear heels, normally I'm not the type of girl who ever dresses up like that. Sometimes it's fun to act feminine and let the guys ask you to dance, and not be offended when you're treated like a woman. I would go dancing, then go grab ice cream at Walrus and walk around Old Town by myself. I used to call this "taking myself on a date." I enjoyed it, it was a way for me to get out, away from Blaire and Agatha (two ex-friends) and I truly enjoyed being alone, watching people, just thinking about stuff. Now, however, I have great friends, and a great boyfriend, I don't need to "take myself on dates" anymore. I don't need to show off for all the slightly creepy dudes who go to salsa every week, I don't need all the extra attention from strangers to boost my confidence (although I still do struggle with self confidence a lot...). The people I care about most aren't there to share the fun of dancing, so suddenly I feel alone and unfulfilled by an activity that used to bring me so much enjoyment.
In any case, if I could ever get some of them to go with me it could be good again, but for now, it just reminds me of a time in my life that was pretty hard. I had to try so hard to convince myself of my worth-while-ness (not a word I'm sure), it's almost painful to remember.
That all said, I encourage anyone to try out some salsa dancing for themselves. Especially if you're in need of a little confidence boost!:)
ciao,
Megan
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Living With Four Boys
Recently, due to the unfortunate circumstance of my old landlord trying to sell my old apartment, I moved in with four boys. Why, you ask, would any girl in her right mind move in to a house full of random bike parts, dirty dishes, and all sorts of drama? Well, the answer would be, of course, to save some money for the trip out east. One of the roommates is my dear Caley, which isn't all that bad, in fact, it's kind of nice. The other three are a strange mix however:)
One is totally obsessive compulsive, and loves to go on cleaning rampages of the kitchen, of which he swears he doesn't contribute to any mess. Also the living room must remain completely clear of clutter or he likes to leave nice little messages on the white board or fridge reminding everyone to "contain clutter to personal rooms." It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't assume a "holier than thou" attitude and go around making snide comments and insinuations and muttering just loud enough that you can hear him accusing you of cluttering things up! We awoke this morning to a cleaning rampage and it's been on my mind...sorry for the rant.
One of the other roommates is new to the house and definitely takes some getting used to. He is an absolute sweetheart, but considers Dance Dance Revolution exercise and has cooked only once that I've noticed (the rest is fast food). He loves techno at loud volume, and plays video games late into the night. Like I said, he's awfully nice, so you can't really hold it against him, but beware, he'll talk your ear off if you let him:)
The other roommate is the resident Obama fanatic, we all take our inspiration from his passion for politics. He has ventured out of his room more often of late; during the school year, all you would see of him is the five seconds from his bedroom door to his car, and back again:) All in all, they're not a bad bunch, but the house is exceedingly full, and hard to find your own space or watch t.v. without being worried you're watching an unacceptable channel (Disney.....).
In conclusion, I can't wait to move into my own beautiful, adorable, convenient, amazing, ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT!!!!
ciao,
Megan
One is totally obsessive compulsive, and loves to go on cleaning rampages of the kitchen, of which he swears he doesn't contribute to any mess. Also the living room must remain completely clear of clutter or he likes to leave nice little messages on the white board or fridge reminding everyone to "contain clutter to personal rooms." It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't assume a "holier than thou" attitude and go around making snide comments and insinuations and muttering just loud enough that you can hear him accusing you of cluttering things up! We awoke this morning to a cleaning rampage and it's been on my mind...sorry for the rant.
One of the other roommates is new to the house and definitely takes some getting used to. He is an absolute sweetheart, but considers Dance Dance Revolution exercise and has cooked only once that I've noticed (the rest is fast food). He loves techno at loud volume, and plays video games late into the night. Like I said, he's awfully nice, so you can't really hold it against him, but beware, he'll talk your ear off if you let him:)
The other roommate is the resident Obama fanatic, we all take our inspiration from his passion for politics. He has ventured out of his room more often of late; during the school year, all you would see of him is the five seconds from his bedroom door to his car, and back again:) All in all, they're not a bad bunch, but the house is exceedingly full, and hard to find your own space or watch t.v. without being worried you're watching an unacceptable channel (Disney.....).
In conclusion, I can't wait to move into my own beautiful, adorable, convenient, amazing, ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT!!!!
ciao,
Megan
Monday, June 9, 2008
Weekend in Fort Collins
Monday morning again...how does that happen so fast??!
This weekend was lovely and relaxing, spent in good ole FoCo. Saturday I had a great bike ride up the Poudre, Stove Prairie, Masonville, and back. Good thing I had enough water and didn't have to stop at the Masonville store, those people are nuts! They hate bikers and refuse to serve them! They would do so much business, but no...
Anyway, I got a little burned, even though I did put on sunscreen, I promise! Then Sunday was spent literally lazing around all day. I made delicious pancakes and omelets for breakfast, and the next activity was the evening track races at the Oval. After the races we all headed over to Brians for a bbq. Caley and I got a screamin deal on steak at the store, so we had yummy kabobs:) Of course we got home later than I would have liked, but it was worth it. I just made lots of coffee this morning.
Well, gotta go pick up the contacts so Mom doesn't ask me twenty billion times the next time we talk:)
ciao,
Megan
This weekend was lovely and relaxing, spent in good ole FoCo. Saturday I had a great bike ride up the Poudre, Stove Prairie, Masonville, and back. Good thing I had enough water and didn't have to stop at the Masonville store, those people are nuts! They hate bikers and refuse to serve them! They would do so much business, but no...
Anyway, I got a little burned, even though I did put on sunscreen, I promise! Then Sunday was spent literally lazing around all day. I made delicious pancakes and omelets for breakfast, and the next activity was the evening track races at the Oval. After the races we all headed over to Brians for a bbq. Caley and I got a screamin deal on steak at the store, so we had yummy kabobs:) Of course we got home later than I would have liked, but it was worth it. I just made lots of coffee this morning.
Well, gotta go pick up the contacts so Mom doesn't ask me twenty billion times the next time we talk:)
ciao,
Megan
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Struggling with the job
I now have more sympathy for all those business people stuck in cubicles staring at their computers all day long. Currently, the project I'm involved with at the lab has moved into the data analysis part. Basically that means I'm taking all the DNA sequences we've gathered (which number in the thousands...probably...) and cleaning them up and getting them ready to run in a couple of programs that will do all this fancy statistical analysis of the minute differences between all of them. Soooo, this means I've been spending 8+ hrs a day sitting in front of the computer.
My back hurts, my neck hurts, my butt hurts, my fingers hurt, my wrists hurt, my eyes hurt...and I have had way too much coffee in order to stay awake. I think it would be a bad idea to fall asleep at work, at least I've heard that's generally not a good idea.
However, life could be worse. As mentioned in conversation earlier today, we could be living in Myanmar, and that would be The Suck.
Good thing I've decided to go home right now and eat delicious ribs that have been cooking all day in the crock pot (best invention ever!) and then I will go to the weekly produce sale at Sunflower Market and be happy:)
ciao,
Megan
My back hurts, my neck hurts, my butt hurts, my fingers hurt, my wrists hurt, my eyes hurt...and I have had way too much coffee in order to stay awake. I think it would be a bad idea to fall asleep at work, at least I've heard that's generally not a good idea.
However, life could be worse. As mentioned in conversation earlier today, we could be living in Myanmar, and that would be The Suck.
Good thing I've decided to go home right now and eat delicious ribs that have been cooking all day in the crock pot (best invention ever!) and then I will go to the weekly produce sale at Sunflower Market and be happy:)
ciao,
Megan
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Post Graduation
I graduated without honors or distinctions, but a respectable 3.495 GPA:) My mom and dad, both grandmas, aunt, uncle, cousin, and trusty bf were all there to watch the ceremony which actually wasn't too bad. Talk about a lot of family in town! My parents came up to Fort Collins three weekends in a row, which has to be a record for any one's family:) We only had one close call as far as fighting goes, so I would call it a great success on the whole. I can't understand those kids who live with their parents until they're thirty. Mine and I have a much better relationship when I'm in my own space.
Anyway, since gradumacating I have been working full time (or getting really close to full time hours...) and riding/racing the bikes! Until this week Tuesday nights were short track mtn bike races at New Belgium. A few times I won enough money to buy dinner at La Luz and The Rio (plus margs at the Rio which are delicious!). Sunday nights since Nationals have been "track racing" nights at the CSU oval. I raced for the first time last weekend, and got totally stomped due to racing that morning in the Denver City Park Circuit. Previous weeks I've been a spectator, makes me feel a little lazy, but I must say, sitting in the grass eating a hot dog watching bike racing is pretty much the best thing ever!:)
What else...I raced in Angel Fire NM. It was hard and fast, but I felt way better than at the previous mtn states cup in Nathrop where I bonked hard core:(
That's pretty much all I've been up to. Work is kind of lame because I sit in front of the computer all day...but at least the hours are going by relatively quickly.
I CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS AND VERMONT!! Only fifteen more days!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, since gradumacating I have been working full time (or getting really close to full time hours...) and riding/racing the bikes! Until this week Tuesday nights were short track mtn bike races at New Belgium. A few times I won enough money to buy dinner at La Luz and The Rio (plus margs at the Rio which are delicious!). Sunday nights since Nationals have been "track racing" nights at the CSU oval. I raced for the first time last weekend, and got totally stomped due to racing that morning in the Denver City Park Circuit. Previous weeks I've been a spectator, makes me feel a little lazy, but I must say, sitting in the grass eating a hot dog watching bike racing is pretty much the best thing ever!:)
What else...I raced in Angel Fire NM. It was hard and fast, but I felt way better than at the previous mtn states cup in Nathrop where I bonked hard core:(
That's pretty much all I've been up to. Work is kind of lame because I sit in front of the computer all day...but at least the hours are going by relatively quickly.
I CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS AND VERMONT!! Only fifteen more days!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Attempt #2
Last summer, about this same time, I tried to start a blog...of course it didn't work so well. The unfortunate attempt began as an online diary, of which I soon grew bored. So, this blog will log all my grand adventures beginning with this summer and my crazy awesome trip with the bf to Vermont to race road and mountain bikes and explore the east coast!
I'm very excited to keep this up and keep my family and friends informed about all that I'm up to these days. We have so many ways to communicate in this modern world, yet we never really seem to stay in touch, even with those we truly care about...(sorry everyone).
So yes, summer has been in session for two weeks, and already I have much to update everyone about! But, I'm at work, so I might have to elaborate this evening when I have some free time:)
ciao
Megan
I'm very excited to keep this up and keep my family and friends informed about all that I'm up to these days. We have so many ways to communicate in this modern world, yet we never really seem to stay in touch, even with those we truly care about...(sorry everyone).
So yes, summer has been in session for two weeks, and already I have much to update everyone about! But, I'm at work, so I might have to elaborate this evening when I have some free time:)
ciao
Megan
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