Pump Vacation

Dear Insulin Pump,

I need to start seeing other diabetic supplies. Like a 'bottle of Lantus and a Novolog Pen...' (to quote the lyrical genius of Bee Murabito). It's not you. It's your expensive taste. Don't cry, I'll be back. Like I said, I think we just need a break from each other.

Love, Emily


For Diabetic Christmas I got about 2 1/2 years worth of Lantus, AKA 'the poor woman's pump'. So there you go. It's actually really weird to not have a pump on. I've been wearing one around the clock- except for showering, swimming, and that one time I went to work without it- since Sept. 2000. That's a long time to be connected to something. I keep reaching back to check the time on it... Looks like I might need to get a watch. Wanna know how it works? Magic... Or science. Don't wanna know how it works? Fine. Don't read this:

INSULIN 101:

An insulin pump uses one type of fast-acting insulin in two ways. 1. It pumps a small amount continuously to take care of the glucose your liver is always producing. Even your liver, betcha didn't know that. That's what we call a 'basal' rate in the biz. 2. It pumps out more insulin when you tell it that you've eaten carbohydrates. Carbs turn into glucose... which can only be used for energy if there's insulin involved. So that's yer 'bolus'. With me? Good.

Now I'm going to use Lantus in place of pump function #1. It's a small, constant level of insulin for 24 hours (basal). And I'll have to take a shot of fast acting insulin when I eat carbs (bolus). The silver lining to this is that I think I'm going to have to be much more conscious about what I'm eating. Every time I eat I need a shot. I mean eating from boredom is tedious if you have to take an injection every time...




The last month or so of my life has been great... I've gotten to do a bunch of geekin' out. Geekin' out about diabetes, geekin' out about bikes. Oh yeah... Bikes! Until next time...

'betes Camp.

Holy crap. Diabetes camp is more fun than your body has room for. Really. Don't believe me? When was the last time you laughed so hard you thought you were going to pee? Or vomit? That's what I thought...

Seriously. Camp was fun, and crazy, and exhausting. My cabin was hands down the best cabin I've ever had. My co-counselors were off the Rad-ness chart.

Here's the cabin on "What I want to be when I grow up day".
Conveniently I'd like to be a bike mechanic.

I ate my body weight in Teddy Grahams, swam across Merrymeeting Lake (twice), got proposed to (it was fake), participated in a cabin debate about said proposal (really, girls, it was fake...), forgot about diabetes, hunted vampires, built rockets, thought about diabetes, told jokes, went on some top secret ninja/robin hooding missions, respected tradition, gave a boatload of hugs, fell asleep on the dock, woke up at 2:00am, woke up at 4:45am, woke up at 6:00am, filled out paperwork, complained about paperwork, felt normal, and the list goes on... I'm sure you all will be forced to hear about it in the months to come.

Notice that "planning for the future" is not on the list. I'm really enjoying not having a job, or anything in particular to do. I know I can't keep it up forever, but... Right now I'm at a coffee shop using the internet and eavesdropping on a conversation between a middle-aged man and his music teacher about his experience at "euphonium camp". Jealous? You should be.

I'm going to pick up JeffThib from the airport tomorrow, now that he's back from a little place I like to call Australia. Then I'm going to head north to anticipate becoming an aunt (probably within the week!). I'm pretty stoked. I'm going to spoil the $#*! out of that baby... And then give her back to her mom when she gets cranky. Stay posted for aunt-hood and other important(ish) updates...

Em Dee Eye

Well, it's official. I've fallen back in love with Maine.

It's not hard to (in the summer), it's sooooo beautiful. This week I went to my mom's place on Mount Desert Island. Or Isle Mount Desert, if you prefer. I rode my bike into BaR HarboR. Unfortunately I don't have a granny gear, so McFarland hill was kind of a bummer. I'm proud to say I was able to adhere to the strict Team DFL policy- "don't crash, don't puke", which I think makes the ride a success. I walked around town, trying to avoid seeing anyone I went to school with, and grabbed a blueberry muffin at Jordan's (of course). I got a copy of The Islander newspaper, mostly because of the riveting front page headline: "Rangers Trap Lobsternapper". I wish I was making that up.

The article was about how park rangers stopped two guys who were spotted pulling a lobster out of a trap while they were kayaking. The rangers stopped them by setting up a road block at the only road that leads off the island. The article also mentioned that pot (Ahem... and I quote) "and not the kind you cook a lobster in..." was also found in the car. Oh, man. Again, I wish I was making that up.

This is were I grew up. In the land where 'lobsternapper' is a word. And where lobsternapping is reportable news. I love you, Maine.

I'm off to diabetes camp today! Which means the next post will probably smell like glucose tablets and bandaids...

Classic.

I've finished up my week at the New England Classic. I met some amazing folks, made some really good bike biz connections, and got to hang out with my pal Ryan. All in the name of diabetes (or against the name of diabetes, I guess...).

I got to do some serious geeking out. There were two other mechanics and 120 riders ready to talk about bikes. There were folks on carbon race bikes, recumbent trikes, flat bar Madones, one guy was riding an oooollllld Aegis with purple ano brakes, one guy rode with tubies... crazy stuff. Not that I needed it, but it was a great reminder of how much I love my occupation. Plus my buddy and fellow mechanic Eric found a couple of these in a shop along the route... That's going on the 1995 Kona Lava Dome.

Speaking of my occupation, one thing I found interesting in talking with people about my current life situation was how uncomfortable some folks were with the lack of immediate life plans. What are you going to do? Where are you going to work? What if you don't find a job? One woman in particular asked me how I could possibly not know what I'm going to be doing next month. When I told her that "I think if you believe that things will work out they always do", she asked me not to talk to her kids about it. Really. Nothing makes people squirm like saying "I'll figure it out" with a big smile on your face.

Pea Dub Em

Portland! (I used to work on that boat that's sticking into the pic on the very left side...)

PWM. Maine's largest 'city'. The 207. The Forest City. Hill City. Birthplace of Stephen King, and home to Liv Tyler (according to Wikipedia).

While I was looking for pictures of Portland MAINE this one popped up. I know that isn't Portland ME. Trust me. I'm a Portlands expert.

I made it. I spent 8 hours in the truck on Wednesday, and 12 hours on Tuesday. I'm feeling pretty much done with driving. Yesterday I spent the day running errands via bicycle and it was pretty OK. I was worried about drivers not being as used to seeing bikes on the road, but everyone was very courteous and it was tons faster than a car (summer tourists...).

We're staying here with the Hot Dog's dog pal, Brook and my human pals Carrie & Spencer until I can find a nice little studio apt (although I can't imagine I'll find one quite as nice as my spot in Sellwood...). The pups had an exciting face biting reunion. They're both a little older now, so they take nap breaks between biting/chasing sessions. It's pretty cute.

What's next? I'll tell you.
1. Wrench (and general) support on the Tour de Cure New England Classic
2. Go to Diabetes Camp
3.

I'll figure out 3 when I get there.

I had a great time hanging out with Anna in Omaha, Nebraska last night. A little dinner, catching up, and ballroom dancing competition on TV was exactly what I needed after a loooooong day of driving. I felt like I was driving through a giant golf course- it was all green rolling hills. Hill after hill after hill. I kept thinking that there should be windmills out there. It seemed windy enough, and there's plenty of space, so it seems like a good idea to me...

Well, it turns out all of the windmills are next door... in Iowa:





I took a bunch of pictures because I think windmills are a brilliant idea (as seen in my debate arguments during 'energy week' in 7th grade), and there's something kind of eerie about seeing dozens of these giant moving structures on the horizon. So they're cool and creepy.

And... check this out:



The blades (?) are wicked huge. Crazy. Speaking of huge, the second most exciting thing that I got to see was this:



Windmills and truckstops. So there you go.

Now I'm on my way to Quakertown PA to hang out with Grandpa...

'forget that you're a lady and give 'em what they deserve...'

I've been listening to lots of Salt n' Pepa... I don't know why. It just sounds really good to me right now...

Driving through eastern Wyoming and Nebraska has been pretty boring. Well...ok- this was pretty cool:



Snow!! The Hot Dog and I got out of the truck to romp around a little. Who could resist snow in July?

I camped out in a little state park in western Nebraska. I woke up, went for a run, made breakfast, walked the Hot Dog, and packed the Wimpy before I remembered it was my birthday. 28 down... 100 to go... As a birthday present to myself look what I went to check out:



Carhenge. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Stonehenge made of cars... Oh Nebraska, you're so cute...







Onto Omaha...

Grand Tetons

During the summer of 1993 my whole family- Mom, Dad, Emily, Becky, Ben and Abby loaded up in an RV and traveled around the country. Since I've become a grown-up(ish) I've had the chance to travel back to a bunch of the places I remembered from that trip: the Badlands, Yellowstone, the Redwoods, the Oregon coast... I remember visiting Grand Tetons NP, but I don't remember it being this amazing. If I may borrow a bit from "The Celestine Prophecy"... the energy is incredible. These amazing mountains just stick up out of nowhere. I learned it's because a fault line was created and one half sunk down (Jackson Hole) and the other half was pushed up (Teton range). Cool, huh?





The campgrounds here are full (it is a holiday weekend...), and Jackson Hole doesn't have a Wal Mart parking lot, so I'm staying in the fanciest Motel 6 I've ever seen. Really. It's actually nice... If I didn't know any better I'd think I was in a Best Western or something. I figured the motel staff would appreciate it if I didn't break out my camp stove in the parking lot, so I walked down town for dinner. If there's one thing I know in life it's that you can't go wrong with cart food. It's usually better than food from restaurants in real buildings, and it cheaper (that whole not having a building thing, I guess...). I didn't find any carts, but I did find a shack.

The Everest Momo Shack was friggin' delicious. I had dumplings and naan. The owner also gave me "the best coffee in Jackson Hole". It was 8pm, but who can pass up a free cup of coffee? And it was really good. When the guy asked for my name for the order he spelled it "Amily" with an accent over the A... Yep. I like this little town.

Yellowstone

Oh, Yellowstone.

I camped out at Madison Campground with every family west of the Rockies and 10,000 mosquitoes. I forgot about those guys.

Here are some things I learned about the park:

1. It's (arguably) the world's first National Park.

2. It's dangerous. Look:

Check out the lady standing there screaming and pointing.

3. It's ok to bring your 40 foot RV (towing an SUV) and run your generator for 12 hours a day. But these are NOT ok:

Those happen to be a couple of my favorite things.

4. I went for a run to make up for the lack of (allowed) bike riding. I felt terrible. I was feeling so bad, and out of breath, and out of shape when I passed a sign that said "Madison Junction: elevation 6806". I guess I don't have to feel so bad about having a bad run at 6700 feet higher than I'm used to... Right? That's going to be the excuse I stick with.

Despite the annoying mosquitoes and generators, I did get to see some amazing stuff.



That's just a sneak peek. There are more photos here.

I drove to the Southern entrance of YNP and passed on through Grand Tetons NP, and now I'm having a great time in Jackson Hole. More to come...

I.D.A.H.O.

I love that Middlefork trail. Photos here.

Bend was rad.



As soon as I set foot into Pine Mountain Sports Dan said "Hey Emily! What are you doing this afternoon? Wanna work on some repairs?" And I'm a sucker for fixin' bikes... so I spent the afternoon hanging out, talking shop, replacing shock bushings. I really do love my occupation.

After that Dan and Michelle were kind enough to let the Hot Dog and I stay with them in their beautiful house. She made a couple of dog friends, too.

I got to ride Phil's Trails. It's a great network of single track just outside of town. The trails are super smooth and flowing... Oh, man, it's fun stuff. It's the kind of riding that if you're paying attention you don't really need to use your brakes, it's so well planned out. Plus, there's this:



Jumps and berms? Yes, please! I'm usually the kind to keep two wheels on the ground, but this trail makes it so easy and fun to get airborn it's hard to resist.

I left Bend and drove through eastern Oregon, which is remarkably different than west of the Cascades. It's beautiful. And then....Idaho! Good-bye, Oregon. Until next time...

I stayed in one of Idaho's finest Thibodeau campgrounds. That's really all I have to say about Idaho. I'm sure it's a great place, but I'm just breezing through on my way to Yellowstone...

Like taking off a Band-aid

I had a great weekend in the EUG. A relaxing, errand running, truck fixing, BBQing, hiking, lawn mowing, banana pancake eating weekend. I have a special place in my heart for that weird little town. There are all kinds of fantastic humans living there. I was hard to say good-bye to those folks. I'm a sensitive little somebody (ie. crybaby), so I had to make the good byes brief, "like taking off a band aid" otherwise I would be a sobbing mess for the next 3000 miles. Although... "good bye" isn't really appropriate... "see you soon" is. Right? Right.

I camped out and rode my favorite Oregon trail (Middlefork) twice in the last 24 hours. I gotta get my fill... I'm going to try and set up a flicker page for all of my pics. I just have to remember where I packed my camera...

It was a little boring camping by myself. Don't get me wrong- I think that I appreciate quiet time better than most- it was just really quiet. If I'm not careful I'm going to start having full-on conversations with the Hot Dog... In anticipation of having lots of time on my hands, I asked for reading recommendations. I now have a list of good, and very different books to read. Right now I'm in the middle of The Celestine Prophecy. The plot is very good, and there's alot of interesting concepts (especially for someone who's in the middle of a big transition...). I'm trying very hard not to go too fast with it.

Ok. That's it for today. On to Bend, OR...

See you soon.

Adventurin' Day 1

This post is dedicated to A-Ron and Brad (why?... stay tuned!)

And I'm off!

I'm amazed that I got everything squared away. Three weeks ago I had a (so-so) job, an (awesome) apartment, and twice as many (unnecessary) belongings. Today is a different story. Last weekend I had a very successful yard sale, with thanks to Ava for the help and moral support! So now I'm down to just what I could fit into, and on top of, the wimpy.

I left Sellwood at 4:00pm. The Hot Dog got in the truck at noon. I think she was worried I was going to leave her behind. She's totally exhausted now, which is why I was able to get this picture of her:

I think it's a pretty good one. She's hard to photo, because she's always moving around so much.

Things went great for the first 50 miles (50 down...3150 to go), then at 6:00pm this happened:

RIP alternator.

Yes. I have AAA.

But, this was Millersburg. AAA would only bring me to Millersburg, which is not anyplace I'd care to be...so A-Ron and Brad to the rescue. One wobbly trailer ride to Eugene, one wrong alternator, one right one and one night sleeping on the dudes' couch later the Wimpy is back in business! On to MTB and hanging out with the Eugene folks...

Hello! and Welcome!

Hi there friends.

Why have a web log? Two reasons:

A.) I'm leaving Portland, Oregon for Portland, Maine. With adventure in between! With the help of internet technology, if you care to, you can see what I'm up to. Chances are I'm going to see some cool stuff as I drive East, and I'll post it here. Plus, if you know what I'm up to you don't have to worry about me (that means you L-Mac).

B.) I hate the word 'blog'. Therefore this is a 'web log', not a 'blog'.

So, enough word hatin'...what's the plan? I'll tell you.

1. Finish up one week at work.
2. Pack the Wimpy and the Hot Dog and I will hit the road (the Wimpy is my 2000 GMC Sonoma, the Hot Dog is my 2004 Black Lab...).


3. Drive to Eugene, ride mountain bikes
4. Drive to Bend, ride mountain bikes
5. Do more driving, and stopping to ride bikes...

So far that's it. I'm trying to make an un-plan for this trip. Which is more difficult than it sounds. Check back for more un-plans.

Thanks for reading my web log. See you soon.