Awesome ride!

Ok, first of all... I saw Lance Armstrong training! I was driving to the ride, and I looked over and saw a cyclist wearing a Livestrong kit (it looked something like that, but I thought I saw a yellow star on the sleeve...). I kind of wondered who it was... and I looked in my rearview mirror, and saw a black SUV following behind with flashing lights (you'll see this a lot with pro cyclists when they're training). When I got to the ride, Chuck told me that it was indeed Lance Armstrong--another guy actually got a close look at him, and recognized him.

I did a group ride this afternoon. We started out at a pretty aggressive pace for about five-eight miles or so, and then Chuck got a flat. It ripped a pretty big hole through his tire, so he and another guy, Scott, went back to replace it. After that the pace became somewhat reasonable, haha. For the most part, I was able to stick with the group. I got dropped on some hills, but they slowed down to let me catch up, heh. After 15 miles or so, we turned down some county road, and did a bunch of hills. At the end of that road, we all stopped to turn around, and the other girl on our ride rode back a ways for a "natural break". I stayed with the guys, and after a minute, one of them goes, "April, we need a piss break, so you gotta go that way." LOL.

At one point after we turned around, we were all together, and I got dropped on a hill. The guys kept going, and the other girl in the group was a ways ahead of me. After the hill, I got into the drops and actually started closing the gap. I eventually caught up at a light. We went down a longish hill, and I dropped the other girl on the ride. She teaches spin classes, and she's relatively strong, so I figured she'd catch up with me and drop me after we began a long climb. But she didn't catch up. I looked back at the top of the hill, and she was still only halfway or so. She never did catch back up, which was weird. I don't know, maybe she had a long ride yesterday and was tired or something. ;) Either way, I was really proud of how strong I rode. At one point, I passed Chuck, who was putting a jacket on. He caught back up a couple minutes later and goes, "Man, you're riding really strong!" :D We ended up with around 35 miles, and I had an average speed of 16, which is pretty damn awesome considering I rode alone for a good 10-12 miles into a headwind after we turned around.

I went out for lunch with Amber... maybe that had something to with it, lol.

Seriously, what is it with me and my fingers this month?! I was taking Jaiden on a walk, and he spotted a little dog coming our way. No big deal, I just gathered his leash in tighter (he's obsessed with the little guys). Out of nowhere, he gives a hard TUG on the leash just as the dog is passing, and it rips right over my thumbnail, bending it backwards 1/4 inch. Good lord it hurt. It started bleeding right away, and I couldn't do anything about it. Jaiden was a good boy on the way back, lol. My right index finger is still swollen/painful/numb (how it can be numb and painful at the same time is a neat trick) from my tree adventure. My left thumb finally healed up from the dog fight, but it's now angry again from the dog walk. Argh.

Ouch

I don't think I've ever bruised the tip of a finger before. Lemme tell ya... it's painful. My right index finger is screwed up. The tip is swollen and bruised on the "pad", and I have a painful cut near the fingernail. And guess how I did it.

I ran into a tree on last night's nighttime mountain bike ride. :D

My friend Chuck gave me an extra light, and it helped. My own light is actually more powerful than I originally gave it credit for. I was able to see somewhat well, but once we started going fast or down obstacles, I had to slow down. And those stupid trees. I hate it when they space them so close together--it really screws me up. So after I ran into the tree, Chuck told me to stop looking at the obstacles, and look where I want to go--otherwise I'll run right into whatever I'm looking at, lol. I fell a lot (and cursed a lot), but didn't really get hurt because my mountain bike doesn't have clipless pedals. I do have a lot of bruises on my legs, though. It was cold outside, but I was dressed perfectly, so it didn't bother me. It was so much fun. I did pretty well considering I haven't been on a mountain bike trail since last August or so, and did this trail, which I've never done before, at night.

We went to Red Robin afterwards (I didn't eat, just went to socialize) and talked bikes. ;)

I just pulled a piece of tree out from under my fingernail! Last night, I thought it was just dried blood, so I didn't do anything with it. But today, I knew it was something else, so I took a staple and wedged it underneath the thing. Good lord, that hurt. But it moved, so I figured I had to get it out of there or it would get infected. I was able to remove it just as a motherly type came into the bathroom, and directed me to the first aid kit, lol.

I've had to shake a few peoples' hands today, and I feel odd because I have to stick my index finger out to avoid it getting smashed, heh.

First day at work :)

My last day at the old company was on Tuesday. Pretty anti-climatic. I don't like good-byes, so I just said, "I'll see you all on IM!" Heh.

I had a really good first day at work! :) The company is reminiscent of Medical Solutions, the last place I worked at in Omaha (or at least the Medical Solutions that I knew when I started). They're very cognizant of employees' needs, and they do what they can to keep their employees happy. The building we're in is an old gym, and they kept several of the aspects of the gym. On one side of the building, there's a rock climbing wall and a basketball court. On the other side is a full weight training area with cardio machines (including bikes!). The bathrooms also still have the lockers, mirrors for women that need to freshen up ;), and SHOWERS! That'll be useful when I start commuting by bike. They stock really good coffee--not that I drink it, but I might, lol--and they have two ovens (yes, ovens) and microwaves. OH. And they have a beach house in Port Aransas... which I can never pronounce correctly, because my brain is backwards or something... and it's FREE to use for all employees! I am so taking advantage of that, as I still haven't been to the beach.

I also had a beer at work on my first day, lol. Apparently, last week, the entire company went out to some camp or something for a team building exercise, and they had a bunch of leftover food and drinks. My boss (who seems very nice and laid back, by the way) had a margarita, heh.

I can't spend Thanksgiving alone--I'd be miserable here. So, I'm coming up to Omaha! :) I told my new boss about my Thanksgiving plans, and he said I could leave early on Wednesday if I wanted. So, I'll probably try to leave around noon or 1:00. That'll put me in Omaha between midnight and two in the morning on Thursday (yuck). Ugh, that makes me think of my first night in Austin, when we got into town at 3 in the morning or whatever, and Jaiden spent the whole night attacking his kennel because of the cats. I don't think it'll be that bad with Mom and Dad's dogs, though. It still makes me nervous, especially with the recent fight.

New friends coming out of the woodwork...

Just when I need it most! This Thursday, I'm doing a nighttime mountain bike ride (that scares me in so many ways, heh--and yes, mom and dad, I have lights). The girl that set up the Halloween pub crawl with me asked me to go with her to this mountain bike ride, and I think it'll be a lot of fun. I haven't been on the mountain bike in over a year, though. Hope it still works! Friday, I'm going out with Amber and her crew. Saturday, I'm going out to see Twilight the movie with some girls I know. Weeee...

I went on a group ride Monday night, and it kicked my butt. I ended up with around 28-30 miles. It was COLD, too! The ride started off at a relatively decent pace. We went up some hills, through neighborhoods, skipping the busiest streets (thankfully). We went down one hill in particular, and at the bottom of it, the temperature was at least 10 degrees colder. Then we turned around and went back up, haha. It was a lot of fun, but I wasn't dressed warm enough.

So I was thinking about everything I've been through in the last six months: 1. Move away from friends/family to unfamiliar city; 2. Take a mediocre, lower-paying job, end up hating it (oh, and I did 1 & 2 in a weekend--quit my old job Friday, moved to Austin Sunday, started new job Tuesday); 3. Interview for several jobs for the next 5-6 months, get close on several; 4. Move into new apartment; 5. Continue hating job--and as a person who defines herself by her career, this is a hard pill to swallow; 6. Finally get job offer--but it's for a part-time job. Take it anyway, because the company is impressive; 7. Continue looking for other part-time jobs; 8. Jaiden gets into a dog fight--$400 bill (though the fight itself was much harder to take than the bill); 9. Call it quits on relationship. I know I'm forgetting a bunch of others.

So. What's next? Gimme all ya got. ;) (Hm... okay, maybe I shouldn't tempt the fates... or whatever they are.) I just need a damn break! I've been giving up so much of myself since I got down here just to hold EVERYTHING together.

Sick & Single

I've been feeling nauseous all day for some reason, but went on a ride anyway. Damn, it was cold. By Austin standards, anyway. I really hate going out later in the day, though--the traffic is worse and there are fewer cyclists out. I like seeing other cyclists on my rides. :) So, anyway, I kept it short because I think I'm coming down with something, and I couldn't get rid of the nausea. When I got home, I was shivering so badly that I couldn't keep my voice steady.

I went out with Amber Friday night and had a blast. We started at a place called The Belmont, a ritzy, uptight joint. Many co-workers were there including Spermy Andy (a guy that thinks it's appropriate to talk about his sperm count at work... or anywhere, as it turns out). He had heard from his boss that I was offended about the fact that he was openly talking about his sperm count. I told him, "No, I wasn't offended. I just think it's weird." He then proceeded to talk about his sperm count again. He's an odd guy. Another co-worker bought a round of tequila shots (my favorite), and I was coerced into taking two. That started the night off right. ;)

Amber and I got hungry, so we left with another one of our coworkers, and talked about starting up our own business, lol. We ended up at some bar where a band was playing "Irish stout rock". After being out for about six hours, I was starting to sober up, my feet hurt, and I was getting a little bored, so we went home. Amber invited me to go to Corpus Christi with her and her friends, and I would loooove to go, but it's a three-hour drive, and I don't want to leave Jaiden alone for so long. I swear, that woman always has something going on.

So I'm single again. The past month or so, I've been going back and forth between wanting to be in a relationship and wanting to be single. It's for the best, but I am sad. Mostly, I think, because he said some pretty crappy things to me, and I'm having a hard time getting past that right now. That really sealed the deal for me. A couple of people have asked me if I'm moving back to Omaha, lol. Nope--here to stay for now. Plus, I'm starting my new job on Wednesday. I'm hoping to start commuting by bike--when I went in for my first interview, they showed me around and I saw a few bikes in one area. Looks like I'll be able to meet some other cyclists! :)

My friend Eric runs a t-shirt business on the side, and got me this shirt (I freaking love it!):

Coffee

I went out with Amber and her friend on Tuesday night, and Amber created a Google group for a bunch of girls to join. So hopefully I'll have some others to hang out with. :) I'm also going out with some girls to see the movie Twilight! :D I'm excited. I need some more girlfriends--all my friends in Omaha are so cool and irreplaceable!

I normally bring energy drink powder and stir it in water, but I forgot it today (along with my damn breakfast). So I got desperate--I think I'm officially addicted to energy drinks/caffeine/whatever else they put in that stuff--and decided to make my own coffee concoction. I put a little bit of coffee in my mug thing, poured a crapload of creamer and sugar in it, and sat down at my desk. And waited for 10 minutes. Partly because I was afraid to taste it, but mostly because I always ALWAYS burn myself when it comes to drinking hot liquids.

So I tasted it. The taste was definitely worse than the burn. But really, I don't see how it's THAT much different than Starbucks. My coworker went to Starbucks last Friday, and got me an iced coffee something or other with chocolate and such in it. It didn't taste much different than what I just made.

Rides, going out, Jaiden update...

I did 34 miles on Saturday, and another 20 on Sunday. The route on Saturday was really pretty--lots of scenery, cows, horses, etc., and very little traffic. I got a little sunburned again, though.

Amber and I (and probably some others from work) are going out on Friday, I think to Sixth Street--where I haven't been in months!--to celebrate my departure, lol. Another girl that lives here in Austin that I haven't heard from in a while sent me an e-mail. I didn't even realize she had my e-mail address. Maybe I can coerce her to go out sometime, hehe. Amber always says she wants to go out, but we can never seem to make it happen. Either we're broke or our schedules clash. Another girl I work with mentioned going out more often, too. I'm sure I'll meet lots of people at the new company--it's a fairly decent-sized place.

Jaiden's doing well. :) One of his sutures started to come out, so I took him to the vet on Saturday morning. Went to start up the car, and it started up rather hesitantly. :( I'm wondering if the battery is going out too! (Stupid white cars.) On our way to the vet, I was rushing, passed a cop going 65 in a probably 50 or 55 zone. As I was checking my rearview to see if he was turning around, my eyes drifted back down to the traffic in front of me, and saw EVERYBODY STOPPED. My tires squealed a little, and Jaiden ended up on the floor in the backseat. Poor puppy. That was so not a good morning. I was a little afraid to go on a bike ride, but it turned out okay, lol.

Anyway, the vet decided to not suture him back up--said he'd be fine "letting it stay open". We'll see.

I'm starting to think something kinda screwed with Jaiden's brain during the fight (not that I blame him). A few days ago, I found a wet spot on my quilt the other day, and didn't really think anything of it. Then I found that my cycling shorts that I had left on the bathroom floor (I was tired!!) were wet the next morning. Thought it was weird, but again, didn't think much of it. Then, after returning home from going out Sunday, I saw a couple of wet spots on the sheets. Yes, it was most definitely Jaiden. He sleeps on the bed when I'm not there, and I would have thought it was incontinence, but the wet shorts is what disproves that theory. I know he can hold it--he's never had issues before. So he's gotta be marking. Dangit. I've started closing the bedroom door when I leave.

UGH, and the little shit chewed up my FAVORITE pair of shoes Friday night! :( It'll cost me at least $70 to replace them unless by some miracle I can get them repaired (which I kind of doubt will happen). Grrr... the weekend was really not a good one for me.

The only thing I hate about Austin...

...will soon no longer be in my life! My job! :) I found a new job. It is part-time, but the difference in yearly pay isn't too bad. I'm currently looking for another part-time job to fill the extra hours in my day. I did offer to work part-time for my current employer, but I don't think they'll jump on it. Either way, I'm starting to think that these things happen for a reason. I had actually interviewed with this new company I'm working for about a month and a half ago. It was for my "dream job", and the company seems just fantastic. I didn't get the job, though, and was heartbroken. So, I started looking for part-time jobs for extra cash, and found this one. If I don't get to work part-time for the current employer, I'll probably go see if I can find a job working at a tack shop. :)

Anyway, I'm so loving Austin. It's November 6, and we're going to have a high in the 80's. With the exception of a few days, the forecast says we'll have highs in the 80's for the next ten days. :D

Doggy update

Jaiden is so spoiled. Sunday night, he kept "tossing and turning" in his kennel, where he normally sleeps. I think he just couldn't get comfortable with his sutured-up leg. I considered letting him up in the bed, but I didn't want to make a habit out of that. So I put a thick blanket on the floor, and put my robe on top for extra cushion (did I go too far in the spoil-my-doggy department?). Before I could even get the robe down, Jaiden realized what I was doing and came over to stretch out. ;) At some point, he did eventually go back to his kennel, but he's sleeping again on the makeshift bed right now.

I think I'll be traumatized for a while. I was watching a live feed of a webcam with puppies, and their play fighting kept reminding me of Harley and Jaiden's fight--how disturbing is that? Puppy play is supposed to be cute and irresistible. Sigh. I also kept thinking that I made a big mistake in trying to pull Jaiden's leg out of Harley's mouth (<shudder>... do they make pills that allow you to wipe out images/sensations from memory?). I think I only ended up causing more damage. Michael agreed with me. :( Just for that, I'm not posting anymore of his gory, bloody pictures like he wanted. Poo head.

Anyway, I've been feeding Jaiden sausages to help me with my guilt trip, lol. Hey, I wasn't going to eat it anyway. I give him a small piece--okay, a big chunk--of sausage morning and night with his meds. He's a good enough dog that he'd take the meds without any food, but so what? :D

The swelling has gone down almost completely. :) I started to think that wrapping the leg wasn't helping the healing process (I was trying to keep Jaiden from licking his sutures), so when I got home tonight, I took the wraps off. The skin is pretty red and angry-looking. I may have to get an e-collar/cone for the poor dog if he continues to lick. I think he's been leaving the punctures on his chest alone, so no worries there.

Sigh. I never ever want to experience something like this again.

Another dog fight :(

Ugh. It happened Saturday morning between Jaiden and Harley. I won't go into details because I'm trying to forget them (I just can't get the images/sounds/feelings of ripping skin out of my head... I literally felt like I was going crazy yesterday), but it was pretty bad. All three dogs were really wound up, and I should have known something was bound to happen. Anyway, Harley had a few cuts, but nothing too bad. Jaiden had two big lacerations on his leg, and a couple of puncture wounds on his neck and chest. I took him to the vet, and they kept him all day. I was pretty miserable--I'm so used to having him around that whenever I come home, I automatically look up to see if he's in the window. I felt so incredibly guilty all day. Anyway, they put him under, shaved the cuts, and sutured him up. When I picked him up, he was pretty loopy--not looking me in the eye, staggering, etc. He fought sleep for about an hour, and finally gave in, passing out for about three hours in his "spot" by the window. This morning, his leg was pretty swollen, so I called the vet and they said it was normal. I keep having to re-wrap his leg because it keeps swelling more. He's in good spirits today. Here are a couple of pics:

Note Michael's nasty wrist and the bloody shorts (shudder):

The whole thing was pretty traumatic for Michael and me. Not to mention the dogs. Even Molly tried to get in on it, but I think she was more or less just worried. Molly's a lover, not a fighter. ;) Needless to say, Michael and I agree that I shouldn't bring Jaiden over again. :( Which really sucks, because that means I can't really spend more than a few hours over at his place, and vice versa. During the fight, I remember being bit, and it should have hurt like hell, but I was so full of adrenaline that I didn't give it a second thought. At the time, I would have shoved my entire hand in their mouths if I'd had the chance to keep them from biting each other. Same with Michael--he had two pretty serious bites, but he doesn't even remember which dog did it, nor did he realize at the time that he had been bit. He ended up having to go to the emergency room because they were bleeding rather profusely.

The vet made me feel a little better about the whole thing. She told me about a pair of dogs that had grown up together--one day, someone just snapped, and they had a pretty serious dog fight. The dogs don't realize that fighting is "wrong"--they're just acting on instinct. The owners ended up building a chain link separation fence so that they could at least see each other, but never be together.

Michael told me over lunch that if it ever happened again (which it won't happen between Jaiden/Harley because we can't risk them being together), that I need to just stay away because he felt like he was not only trying to get the dogs apart, but that he was trying to keep me safe, too (aww). I just can't not help, so I'm not making any promises, Mikey. ;) I was reading that if a dog fight ensues, to use water to break them up. I have a seriously hard time believing that when a dog is so focused on maiming/killing another, water is going to stop it. Maybe a direct spray in the face, but they move SO FAST.

Anyway. Enough of that.

A girl named Cynthia and I set up a Halloween pub crawl bike ride for Friday night. We didn't have many people show up, but we (or at least I) had a blast anyway. At one point, Michael went off to who knew where, and we were standing around waiting for him. When he came back, he opened a sack and gave us each a 2 oz. sample of Maker's Mark. HA! That really got the night going. For me, anyway. It gave me the hiccups for a solid hour, too. You can't fake sobriety when you have the hiccups, lol. So anyway, we hit three bars and called it a night.