Beauty

But funny because what inspired this post is an absurd email from a sales partner at my business/place of employment.

Not sure how this will translate (paste), but. . .

From: Terry R>
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2019 4:35 PM
To: afuller@areaenvironments.com
Subject: RE: RFQ: Ellis Don meeting rooms c/o Studio H

Hi Amy-Jo,

Just a question so I can explain to the sales rep for this job.

The dimensions were sent as follows:

Meeting room 2 - Wall dimensions 12’7” x 8’9”

Meeting room 3 – wall dimensions 15’2” x 8’9”

The area quote has the dimensions as follows:

12’7” x 8’9” for Room 02

15’2” x 8’9” for Room 03

Is there a reason why.

Please advise

Terry

Billingual Customer Service

Otherwise, tonight we got to be a part of a gathering at Red Rider Resort with folks from Minnesota Monthly Magazine taking photos for future issues. It's totally exciting. We feel blessed (truly) to be a part of this community. And to see Joel Hartman and Vern Lewis hang out and shoot the shit was priceless. Kudos to you, Vern. Genius, I say. You'll be full and busy, I have no doubt.

Cuyuna is beautiful. We all know it's true, and all else will believe having visited but once.

A Conglomerate

(Found in Drafts)
Starting with TYK calendar party, where I sent my visiting mother up to snag two calendars since we were short on time and Fulton Market was definitely short on bike parking.  At first she couldn't get up to the party.  The elevators weren't working, the stair doors were locked.  I sent her back in to "try again!"  The people watching and relatively mild weather were doing me ()ust fine outside.  Plus, she emerged with at least two amusing stories and a quick glance at one cross section of the Chicago cycling scene.  It worked out well.  I planned to race my mom to The Goodman, but the nice taxi driver insisted we could get my bike in his trunk.  It was only a couple miles in slow loop traffic, but it was nice to stick with my mom and the driver was great about it.  Which is way more than I can say for the mini-van driver we hailed after the show.  I would have to do much more research for a more full assessment of taking your bike in a cab, not something I'm particularly wont to do, so I'll leave it at the apparent range of reactions you may get--knowing that it can defintely be done, so consider it an option anyway (except who really wants to?)

So, on my last day of my six day birthday weekend, I met a friend at Longman & Eagle for lunch.  Had been wanting to try it, and figured it wouldn't be too crowded at 2:00 on a Tuesday.  I was right, and it pretty much lived up to the hype.  I'd go back.  Afterward, I passed by Boulevard Bikes, which I had kind of forgotten about but of course had to stop in.  Kevin (the owner) was great.  I bought a Kozie Prery cap, which I've since lost.

3/8/19
My goodness, what year was that? Probably 2010 (November). I feel like I found that Kozie Perry cap, I have a nice soft fabric one, will have to go grab it and look. Still one of my favorites.

I can't believe that I totally forgot about starting this blog. I think I questioned why I was doing it, which is why it was such a fleeting fad, but I really like reading back on it. I think I wondered who the heck was my crowd, and I still would, but maybe it's just for me. Can't get too caught up in that I guess.

So, here we are, seems like the last day of winter or first day of spring. Going to get to 30 today. We are going to ride, hopefully before it gets that warm. Trails have been super awesome at this end of winter. We had a ton of snow this year. Joel Hartman and crew just killed it with the trail grooming. I got a new Eagle 1x12 drivetrain through John's hook ups - for the Beargrease. Will be getting my RockShox Pike serviced before the regular mountain biking season since I will be keeping my Juliana another year (stoked). I think that's been my favorite mountain bike.

Oh, then there's the news of Jeff Frane leaving All-City. That's pretty big in the bike world. He defined so much - for me anyway. I know that scene was happening everywhere, but he made a beautiful bike and reflected a background and passion that stems from me as well. I wish him the best, he had a very heartfelt and respectful post about that. I will always treasure my All-City SpaceHorse.

With that, I should get back to work (working from home now in the land of the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails. Crosby, MN).

Been a long time, been a long time, been a long time...

but not so lonely lonely lonely lonely time.

The cyclocross season came and went (well, for some dedicated and talented folks it's still going).  And I did it!  Can't say too well, although I did podium a time or two (the Cat4 women's field can be pretty small in Minnesota).  I had some fun, especially my first real race which was Jackson Park in Chicago near the end of September.  I think I got like 20th or 21st in a field of 48.  I felt pretty good about that.  My cheering section was robust, something I missed terribly when racing in Minnesota.

So then September 30th came, and after a decent Final Throwdown at Fuller Hotel and Thunder Bikes, the boy and I (he deserves more than a simple nod, but tis for another blog or day) took off from Chicago enroute to Minnesota so that I could start my new gig as Inside Sales Rep for Quality Bicycle Products.   

So here I am, in the beginning of the New Year and officially working in the bike industry.  It's been quite a transition.  Going from no car and living in Chicago proper to driving a 2000 Honda Odyssey minivan (which I actually like quite a bit) in the suburbs of Minneapolis.  All the details are pretty boring and I am grateful for the ease of the transition (logistically), but I miss city living and riding everyday terribly.  Hopefully, you'll find me touting the wonders of my new Minneapolis neighborhood by this summer.  I did fairly well with my commuting in October, but once it got colder, the 16.5 mile route and colder temperatures were much more daunting than a 3.5 mile commute in much milder Chicago.  I am slowly building up my arsenal though (Lake boots, for example), and do hope/plan to tackle the season much better next year!

I'll try not to make this one too long, even though it's been forever.  QBP, my new employer, Quality Bicycle Products, is located in Bloomington, MN.  We are a distributor for bike products, but ever increasingly a designer and distributor of exclusive bike brands--Surly, Salsa, Civia, Ridley, All City, Foundry, etc etc.  I will concede it is a great place to work.  The transition here is big too, though.  I left my position at Holly Hunt, where I had been for almost 10 years and knew pretty much everything, to a totally new industry, new company, all that.  It's going to take a while, and I'm not always the most patient.  They understand all that though.  A healthy work environment, at a "corporate" level?  I know, it's really hard to believe myself and will take some time to accept.

Finally, the reason I decided to write in the first place, is that QBP is putting on a tech course to those of us who applied and gave reason enough to be considered.  We get 5 Fridays off of our normal shiz to congregate in the corner of the warehouse and talk about the basics of bike parts and maintenance--or not so basic!  We took apart hubs on day one.  That was probably the higlight so far, and that I got to clean my bike while being paid for it.

I guess when it comes down to it, I'm still stoked to be here and for this opportunity.  Damn I miss Chicago though.  

Sigh.

 

Fitness Road

is what I'm calling the stretch of Elston Ave from Damen to wherever it is makes sense for the day and mode.  It's exactly one mile from Damen to Rockwell, 2.1 miles up to Kedzie, and of course, follow it up all the way to the intersection with Milwaukee Ave and head on up to the North Branch Trail.  There's a small bit of safety concern that comes to mind--the relative desolation with some characters met along the way, but in the end, the possibility of a porch creep stalking me on Elston is probably not any higher than something similar happening right on Damen Ave.  I'm much more visible and predicable there--a kidnapping would not be as inconspicuous though.  

So now you know what goes through a girl's head as she tries to get her mind off the first run in who knows how long!  Had to be dedicated to get started.  A good exercise.  Almost getting there!  Been starting to do a bit more training anyway.  Gonna race cyclocross.  Shit.  So so far to go!  Unfamiliar bike, new clipless pedals, but a bad ass enough attitude to tackle it.  Shooting for not sucking in a laughable way, and possibly completing a race.  Low standards, I'm sure it seems, but it's my respect for the sport and how far I've got to go.  Will sure try!

Wouter Weylandt - Wow

How can you say anything?  ()ust riding up Damen tonight I'm thinking about all those guys, trying to ride tomorrow.  There will be a somber feeling in the race, no doubt.  I have to admit, this is the first Giro I'm following, and it is indeed epic.  This wasn't the epic I was invisioning.  Oh I flipped through the glossy Leopard-Trek photos when the team was announced.  Only an introduction, I didn't know any of them over another at the time.  Read a bit of this and that, but its all too much to take in for one person to stick over the other, but to hear about the reverberations in the cycling community.  I feel it more.  I know its a loss.  And anytime we lose a cyclist.  Or any tragedy really.  My friend Anna in the hospital this week.
Riders, it will mean all the more.  Wish I could be there cheering you on.  Wow.

A ride, the Belgians, diesel fuel and time to go!

Saturday was nice.  Not too far, but it was an 8:00 a.m. ride and ya gotta feel good about that, no matter what.  Bucktown to the silos on Ogden, met the peeps and off to the lakefront.  Wind was at our back going up which meant that with a group spirit, some good peanut butter toast adrenaline energy going on, 22 mph was an easy cruising speed.  Yes, we do need to get me a geared bike!
So, up to Sheridan Rd, where I had to turn back for a denstist appt, and a good duck out for those ready to go the full 60 miles.  Did I mention my team, Method Racing? http://methodracingteam.blogspot.com/
That's the ride.
The Belgians?  Well, that's Philippe Gilbert.  I'm new to the sport of road racing, but I've been a fan of Belgium for a while, even before I knew it was a cycling mecca, so I've adopted it as my in-road and way to follow one arm of cycling.  I don't know enough yet to know if Gilbert is a worthy athlete and person-well, he's a worthy athlete for sure!  To be honest, my fav professional cyclist right now is Tim Johnson, the American cyclocross racer.
Diesel Fuel?  Oh my.  You and you know.  I do not need to drive cars.  
Time to get on the bike!!

Why Can't I Ride More?

I ride in in the morning, only about 3 1/2 miles.  Ride home.  Whoop de do.  Can't seem to get off my ass after that.  Maybe its the timing, not after work.  But who does it before, and I'm a morning person!  I do wish that on certain days I could ()ust keep going.  Those rides before 8:00 a.m. with the beautiful morning sun, quiet Chicago streets, worker boys, and air in your lungs.  Little gifts in this life of doing for other people (and not in that good way).  I guess its this balance of re-couping by having "down time" and building up by the positivity that comes from a ride.  The pull is stronger to the down time.  Competing priorities--but its also the natural rhythm of a person, a body.  Plus the wine & such pull.  I know giving that up would do could do wonders for a training regimin. Friggin self discipline.  I suck at all of it.  To be honest, that's why I believe so strongly in community.  So, I did ()oin a bike racing team, Method Racing.  Sorry, I need to figure out how to make links and such (and get a new keyboard), but really, you all are resourceful people, I know.  But Method Cycles. . . that's the good energy, and with a little help and dedication supported by others--watch us and see!
ok, I will type out this link cuz these are some awesome fellows:
http://methodracingteam.blogspot.com/