I'm playing around with a new (to me) blog service. You can visit me here. Nothing is wrong with LiveJournal, I just have a few ideas for how I want my journal set up and certain features that I'd like to have, so I figured I'd give it a try. Plus I like that I could customize the header on the theme I picked.

I love snow. I think it's very pretty and very serene. I'm a little nervous when I drive in snow, which you would think wouldn't bother me since I grew up in New England. New England apparently has received a lot of snow over the last few days. I spoke to my Mom earlier today and she said Scituate got a foot of snow on Thursday, and more was expected tonight. We didn't get that much in Kansas City, just an inch or two, but that was probably enough to make today's CX races interesting.

Zach and I took Stella for a walk out at the Blue River trails. She was smart enough not to go swimming today! The river was high, and was moving fast. Zach thought about going for a mtb ride, but the ground felt pretty soft underneath the snow in some places so he did a trainer ride instead. Me, I had absolutely no urge to ride my bike after two days of 'cross racing. I sat in a comfy armchair and knitted instead (I'll write more about that tomorrow).

Zach and I went to the Power Plant to meet up with a friend to celebrate my graduation. It was a nice dinner with our friend, but my food was so-so, and then I ordered my Snowball Stout Shake only to be told several minutes later that something was wrong with the blender. Normally this wouldn't have bothered me too much, except I never order dessert there because I'm always too full, but I always say that I'm going to try it. So today was the day, since I'm a new graduate and all (yay!). Oh well. Maybe another time. It wasn't all bad though, the spinach artichoke dip was very good, and their seasonal ale, Winter Warmer, was tasty enough.

I ended up racing in the women's B race on Thursday and the Masters 30-34 women on Friday. Thursday's course was icy, but not too slick. The ice was crunched up from people riding the course early on, and that actually provided a decent amount of traction. A few of the local girls, Julie, Kat and Melissa, were there racing as well, so that made it fun. We all placed close to each other. I lucked(??) out and didn't get pulled prior to the last lap, so I wasn't a lap down. I was quite pleased about that, because my previous two big field races I ended up one lap down, so it was unconsciously a goal of mine to finish with the same lap count as the leaders. Of course, that didn't happen to me on Friday's race, I was one of two girls who were pulled.

I think the hardest part of Thursday's race was the stairs. The spacing between the steps was precisely the right distance to create maximum awkwardness for my running stride. I wasn't actually able to "run," I had to sort of stutter step (for lack of a better term) my way up. I ended up taking 20th of 31 starters. I'm actually pleased with that result. I would have been one place down but the girl I was trying to catch ended up with a mechanical and I took that opportunity to use all the energy I had to make darn sure the girl behind me wasn't going to catch up with me. At the beginning of the race Melissa was definitely keeping me honest. She can get going pretty fast, and I struggle to keep up with her. She slid on the ice at one point and I passed her, but she was never too far behind me, I don't think. Of course I asked if she was okay when I passed her! I think she's going to be a pretty strong 'cross racer in future seasons.

Friday's race was hard. Very hard. I started in the first row because of my registration number, but I somehow ended up at the back of the pack before we even headed into the first turn. Hey, I was racing with the elite racers here, I can't be too hard on myself! Friday's course ended up to be one big mud bog. I needed more clearance for the mud between the rims and brake pads. There were a few spots that I couldn't even continue pedaling and I had to run my bike for a few yards. The barriers, and of course those blasted stairs were nearly impossible for me. The mud was so deep, and covered in standing water, that I had trouble actually jumping the barriers. I was actually thinking at one point that I was going to lose my shoe in the mud immediately before the first barrier. Now, that is a 'cross race! I was really only racing against one girl in this race, I think she took 19th in the B's on Thursday. She was in front of me for the majority of our race, until half way through the second lap I had the feeling that we were going to get pulled after this lap, so I used all that I had to power through the mud, go as fast as I could on the straight sections, pass her and keep the lead. It was difficult, and I wanted to die at the end of it. I made it though, and can't say that I was disappointed when I was pulled! I ended up taking 21st of 23 starters (including one DNF).

This really was a unique experience. For the women, we never have local races with fields this large so that alone made it worth racing. Another was that the conditions were so different on Thursday than on Friday, so to do the same course basically back to back was really neat. I'd raced in icy/snowy conditions before, but I've never done a race in mud like that. Zach and I will most likely be heading to races tomorrow to spectate at the elite women and men's races.

More info about 'cross nationals can be found here.

I'm finally finished with grad school. Wow. I'm feeling pretty relieved right now. Well, I'll feel completely relieved once my professors have submitted my grades and I actually have my degree, but I'm pretty close to feeling completely relieved.

I'm going to spend this morning relaxing, maybe catching up on journal writing, knitting or posting a few photos to my flickr page. I have a few photos from Wompatuck State Park in Massachusetts that I want to post. I'll post a couple of them here too. I don't have a lot of time to relax this morning, since I have a 'cross race this afternoon.

Ahh, I can't believe I'm done with school!

I've decided there are a few things I want to accomplish this season, in regards to my knitting. I think a list format will be the easiest way to lay it out.

*No more hats. Seriously. Well, maybe one or two, if they are for someone other than myself. While there a gazillion hat patterns that I want to knit, I have already knit more hats than one person really needs.

*Finish Zach's Berkshire Pullover. I was on a roll with this last winter, until I had Zach try it on after I knit one sleeve to the suggested length. The sleeve was way too long, so I had to unravel a bit. I always have a little difficulty getting started again once I have to undo what I've already done. Of course, this is a good lesson that I don't have to follow the pattern to the letter. I already knew this, but it's never been an issue before.

*Knit and felt a bag. I keep saying I'm going to do this, so this is the year. As a matter of fact, I think this is the week to start it. I found a pattern in the book Knit It! Felt It! that I think I'd like to try. I'm feeling too lazy to find a picture of it right now, so that will have to wait for another day's entry. I already have some brown and pink wool that I'm going to use.

*Knit some sort of lace project. I'm not sure what, maybe a doily, facecloth or bookmark. Something small, but intricate. I've knit a few "simple" lace projects, and I'd like to do something a little more complex, but not something so big that I'll end up frustrated. Or worse, it'll end up in the UFO pile, and then I'll have even more projects that I will need to finish "someday."

My last goal is to go through all my unfinished projects and figure out what I'm really going to finish. The projects that I probably won't finish I might as well frog and use the yarn for something else in the future. I can think of one sweater project that I'll probably frog.

I'll have all my school work completed by Monday, and my last day as a Graduate Research Assistant is on Wednesday. After that, I'll no longer be a grad student. I have to admit, I might miss it, just a little bit. But maybe not too much! It will be nice not to have to worry about school work and classes and more.

Once I'm finished with the last of my school work, I'll catch up on all my belated race reports. I know I always say I'll post them, but really, I mean it this time!

The KS State CX Championship is tomorrow, if the weather isn't too dangerous. It's supposed to be really nasty and icy. I would have liked to been able to go to Hermann for the MO State CX Championship, but that just wasn't going to happen with all the work I have to. Also, my Mom is in Springfield visiting family, and she and my Grandma were going to come visit. Unfortunately, they had to cancel those plans because of the weather and the fact that the heater in Grandma's car broke.

In the world of knitting, I've fallen way behind. I have a few projects lined up for when I'm done with school. This bag by Norah Gaughan is one of the projects that I want to knit. I have some teal and brown alpaca yarn that I think would work perfectly, as long as I have enough yardage. I'm trying not to buy any new yarn right now and just use yarn that I already have. Otherwise my yarn stash could possible take over the whole house.

Yesterday Zach and I rode down to the harbor to take some photos. We stopped at the town pier, the boat ramp where Zach's father used to take him to eat their ice cream (from a no longer existing restaurant/ice cream parlor, the Blue Mooring), and then to the lighthouse. We had planned initially on heading back to Wompatuck State Park, but it was getting to be too late in the day so it was going to be dark before we were going to be back home. It was a very cold ride. We had our tights on and heavy AmFIB gloves. I wore my favorite hooded running jersey as a baselayer. The hood fits snuggly under my helmet and doesn't mess with my peripheral vision. I tried to find a picture of it, but I can't remember what it's called. I think once I'm done with school (18 more days!) I'll have to write a post about my favorite riding gear, complete with photos. My running jersey is pretty funny looking with the hood on, it kind of looks like a diving hood. But it's warm and versatile. What more could I want? Anyway, the cold wasn't awful on its own, but the wind coming off the ocean was strong enough to blow me and my bike around on the road. I had to fight to keep going in a straight line!

The weather is definitely starting to turn cold. We're in Massachusetts now, and the temperature is supposed to hit 39 degrees max, or something like that. My friend sent me an email last night and told me it's cold now in Kansas City.

I forgot to write about my night ride that my friend Joe and I did last Wednesday. We went to SMP and rode a lap and a half (I think). I'm pretty slow on night rides, so we didn't get in the two laps that we had set out to do. The weather was quite cool, but I was dressed warmly enough. The trail was covered in a layer of crunchy leaves, pressed flat against the trail so it wasn't difficult to follow the trail at all. The leaves weren't slippery at all either. It was pitch black when we arrived, so we needed lights. I like riding at night with a headlight. It's kind of magical in a way. I'd like it better if I weren't maybe a little afraid of the woods at night. Hey, you never know what lurks in the trees! Anyway, we only ran into one other rider, and two hikers. We saw a couple of deer in the woods, and of course a ton of them on the way out of the park. Those things are kind of like rats. Anyway, I love riding on the flowy singletrack, and looking up periodically seeing the moon peek in between the trees. After the ride, we saw a raccoon. I didn't see it at first, but when we were both driving off I saw it climbing on the trash can at the edge of the parking lot.

Yesterday Zach and I rode our 'cross bikes from my parents' house to Wompatuck State Park, and then hopped on the mtb trails there. I love my 'cross bike. It was great to be able to enjoy a beautiful road ride, then a beautiful mountain bike ride, followed by more beautiful road riding. Many of the roads here are narrow, quiet, tree-lined and curvy. Once we were in the woods, I realized immediately why we manage to get so homesick each time we come back. The lush evergreen forest was carpeted with the dead leaves of the deciduous trees and moss covered rocks and logs lay on the forest floor. Not all the leaves have fallen of course- it's Fall, so the leaves that are still on the trees are a beautiful rainbow of colors. The trail was almost impossible to see, but it was possible to tell were you should be riding. It was a little sketchy- the leaves were so heavy that you couldn't tell if you were about to run over rocks or not, but that made it even more fun in a way. Another think I love about New England woods are the old stone walls that run through them, marking the boundaries of old (very old) farm land. Every once in a while you'll come across an old foundation too.

Today if we have time, I'd like to ride back so I can take some photographs. I didn't bother bringing my camera yesterday, since it's heavy and the bag I have doesn't like to stay put on my back. For Christmas I think I'm getting a smaller point and shoot camera that I can tuck in my jersey. That way, I'll always be able to carry it with me, even on more aggressive rides.

Wow, I feel like doing absolutely nothing. I don't even want to go for a ride. I've been trying to work on schoolwork all day, I'm going to guess that's my problem. I'm so close to being finished with school that it's hard to stay focused! I'm sure I'll manage. There weren't any races this weekend, and I didn't have time to go to the EarthRiders meeting yesterday, or to Cranksgiving today. I hope to have a little more free time once I graduate.

I've started applying for jobs- what a tough process! I've been busy cranking out cover letters. Except "cranking out" is probably not the most accurate statement, since they are taking me forever. Hopefully, that means they are well written. I'm trying to land myself a hospital/rehab position. I know that's hard for a new grad, but that's where my heart wants to be, so I'm just going to keep chugging my way towards my goal.

I really, really want to start keeping this journal up-to-date, and I'm hoping once I have finished all my school related stuff and secured a job for myself I can do such a thing. I'd love to have time to write real ride reports, not just a paragraph, and have time to knit stuff then write about the process. Just a few more days really, in the grand scheme of things.

Man, that course was hard! There was no place to catch a break. It wasn't that technical, but there was a back to back sandpit section that was tough, and the back grass section was bumpy- not so great considering I had been sick to my stomach the night before. Actually, I felt surprising good, considering. I did end up with a side cramp for my last lap- not fun. And no big shock, but I had a bad start again. I got stuck at the back, behind everyone. The first barriers were almost immediately at the start, so I couldn't pass at the barriers like I normally can since we were still all bunched up together. Oh well. Maybe next time! KCOI/BLVD led the women's 4 field, Sherri took 1st, Valerie took 2nd and I took 3rd. We had seven women in our field, so not too bad. I'd love if more women showed up, but I think more women are showing up in general this year compared to last year, so that's good.

The next 'cross race I'll do is in going to be in Massachusetts. I'm going to visit my family, and plan on doing a race on Saturday and one on Sunday. It'll be interesting to race with entirely different women than I'm used to racing with.