an overdue update

i have been keeping busy
living by my new motto:

no, seriously.
after my last post,
i went with my moto friends
to do support for a charity ride in richmond.

doc took his hauler-toy...


which kept us all very comfortable.
that trailer, i'm tellin' ya...
it's better than some apartments i've been to!

we did our work on the route as usual
clearing intersections
and keeping riders safe.

it was nice to see the signs
on the interstate on the way back:


i have also been riding
my engine-less bike... of course!
in a effort to mimic my friend repo...

i did a great score at a yard sale
while riding a very hilly ride.

yea, i know - go back to repo's bike...
;-)

i have also participated
in the md ms150 ride
with several friends from the
babes on bikes cycling club.

we had great weather and a wonderful route.
a good time was had by all!

and of course,
i can't leave without mentioning
my latest passion:
sailing!

we've had some stormy evenings,
and a lot of fun.


just gorgeous!

sailing...

takes me away
to where i'm longing to be....

cheesy songs apart,
sailing does me good.

yesterday was my 3rd time
as crew member of better times,
a 36' beauty
that has been racing on the chesapeake
for many years now.



we meet at the slip
and motor the short trip to the racing area.
then, it's sails up and non-stop activity.

i love it.

yesterday it so happened
that there was practically no wind.
nobody believed the race would happen.
what do you know,
wind got to 2 knots just in time,
and we were off.

well... not really. we were crawling.
at a certain point
several boats from another category
were all bunched up near a mark,
at a dead stop,
their spinnakers like deflated balloons.

we kept at it patiently,
enjoying the views and the beautiful day,
when all of a sudden we saw
boats from the last race
coming up to us,
spinnakers full.

wind!

it was scrambling everywhere
to put up the halyards
and get ours up in time for the turn.
beautiful.
that's what i call
the perfect ending!



will update you all on bike & beer soon!

avon walk for breast cancer report

what can i say?
it was totally awesome!
i have always been into motorcycles,
had one for some 10 years
back in brazil.

haven't had one in 20 years,
but somehow i gravitate around them.
so it was that, during the aidsrides
from 1999 to 2003
i became good friends with the moto safety crew,
aka "moto".

last year i was called in to help
because they didn't have enough crew,
even though i don't own my own bike.
i went and did a "2-up" with a friend
fell in love with it
and the rest is history.

signed up for avon and komen this year,
already re-signed for avon next year.

MOTO ROCKS!!!!

so here are some images
from my awesome weekend.



me and the bike i got to ride on
(as co-rider - this thing is huge!)
a honda goldwing 1800
that is just sweeeet.....

there were many interesting
and unique bike decorations.....




during the walk,
whenever we were between assignments
(i.e., working intersections to keep walkers safe)
we would ride the route
blasting music and cheering on the walkers.
sometimes we would stop and dance
and cheer them up.


this was under the beltway
on rock creek park.

to see the walkers faces
when they turned a curve and heard us
and saw us dancing
was priceless
(this was at mile 25 of a 26.2 route!)

on sunday it poured all day.
i got pretty chilled by mid-day,
and when we reported to the rally point
i asked doc (my riding partner)
to keep the bike lights on
so i could warm up my hands.


everyone thought it was funny
that i was grabbing the headlights
(hey, it was a breast cancer walk...)

in the end we were all cold and wet,
but happy and pleased
with the good job we did!


yeah, MOTO ROCKS!!!!

(and yes, i am thinking
of getting a bike myself...)

beer & sunset on porch

life is getting better by the day.

got A's on both my courses,
getting life back on track,
hoping to get work going.

this weekend i crew
the avon walk for breast cancer.
i am excited.
got tons of pink stuff
to decorate my safety vest
and myself of course :-)
will have pics by next week....

hopefully the weather will hold.

it's been a crazy past 2 weeks,
but today i feel more like me.
well, now i do.
all day i was NOT myself.

that's when those who love you
come to the rescue
and make you see
what you sometimes don't want to see,
or you have seen but won't process.

yeah, i can see now.

making progress!

term paper submitted.
yaay!
drinking a manhattan to celebrate.
thursday i take the final exam.
then...

i am FREEEEE!!!!!

looking fwd to the weekend
in the 80's
with lots of ridind and relaxing.

argh!

going totally crazy
working on a term paper
due on 4/21.
it is on
the role of environmental impact statements
as communication vehicles.

i find it odd that the professor
asks us to come up with a paper subject
on the second week of class.

i scramble and stuff
'cause i don't know enough of the subject,
and come up with something
that only makes me
scramble some more later!

ugh.

it's been a while...

i know...
this has been the longest mia ever.

so many things happening in my life,
i barely have time to come up for air.

last i was here
i was about to leave for rio.
had a great time there!
came back and immediately got swamped
by work and courses
and assignments and papers
and personal issues...

have been slowly getting out of the darkness.
i guess my tiny photos
taken with my blackberry
attest to my total blah-ness....

this is how a lot of my days end...
with a glass of cognac
working on the computer.

started riding outside
whenever weather allows.
there have been some truly beautiful days.

have been helping a friend
fix things on his boat
in preparation for racing.
yea, i'll be racing a sailboat!
i am sooo excited.



and signed up to be a crew member
of the avon walk for breast cancer
doing motorcycle safety.
i have been friends with the moto crowd
for the longest time
but never thought i'd join them one day.
i am psyched!
bought a pink studded leather jacket
specifically for the occasion...
teeheee....

so, this is what i have been up to.
i promise i'll be here more often again
now that i put my head out
and breathed......