Sunday I heard a radio program on NPR about women in sports.  I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t the best argument to site the differences between men’s and women’s badmitton (men’s badmitton plays to 15, women’s plays to 11 points).  But three female guests that were a mix of athletes, coaches, sports doctors, authors, or all of the above, provided interesting insight and their views on women’s athletics, from age group soccer to the WNBA.  You can check it out by clicking here and then there is a listening section at the bottom of the new page.

Everything from why women’s sports gets less media coverage than men’s, fewer photographs, and decreased funding, to how to prevent ACL injuries in developing female athletes, how to get noticed by college recruiters, and developing women’s athletics into a viable marketing opportunity. 

Interesting note here: did you know that ACL tears are 5 times more likely in women’s soccer and 8 times more likely in women’s basketball than in men’s?  Couple of theories here, one being that women’s hips are wider, creating a more strained relationship between the knee and hip and making women more susceptible to this injury (about 250,000 occurrences nationwide annual).  Another theory is that younger girls aren’t instructed in sports at a young with the same kinesthetic awareness  as boys, meaning they aren’t taught to analyze the mechanics of running, jumping, and landing (that’s when the ACL injuries usually occur), also making htem more susceptible to ACL injury. 

Which leads me to this question: why are women less skilled in bike handling than men, on average?  I admit it, I am probably not the fastest down a technical descent.  I wonder if it is a lack of kinesethic awareness on a bike, a difference in balance, or just a mindset “I don’t wanna hit the deck.”  Sure, there are some women who are phenomenal bike handlers, but not nearly as many as there are men.  So whats the reason?

Like I said, it wasn’t the most brilliant radio show I’ve every heard, but if you are interested in women’s sports in general (I know y’all are), definitely something to listen up. 

Just finished reading a book called “Middlesex” about a Greek baby born as a psuedohermaphrodite.  The ending scared me so now I am up in the midle of the night despite being exhausted.

I’ve been meaning to write a special review of People Magazine’s Sexiest Men, but I just haven’t found the energy to do the job it deserves (this training stuff is really cutting into my creative energy).  So I will take a minute in this sleepless night to warn you about something.

It’s called STiNKy Tofu (I think the caps and non-caps is important for some reason).  I found it in Oakland China town earlier this evening.  It is the worst food on the face of the planet.  So bad, in fact, I am not even sure we can call it a food. 

It tastes like a port-a-potty. 

I think my love of food has been ruined forever. 

Tofu is usually a safe dish.  No organs, brains, eye balls, or globs of fat.  The waitress told me in broken English that STiNKy Tofu was just Tofu with a little blue cheese mixed in.  And she said something about a powder.  How bad could it be?

The dish came out with beautiful chunks of golden colored tofu piled high and skewered.  The waitress brought a little fire thingy too . . . food entertainment - that’s what I like.  I took one bite.  My nervous system must have played a trick on me, I rationalized to myself.  I’ll try it again.  But it was over.  The damage had been done in that very first bite and whiff of disgust.  I can never look at food the same again.  That STiNKy Tofu has left it’s mark on my taste buds.  It’s horrendous smell has wiggled it’s way into my nostrils.  Every breath of air I take has a slight hint of STiNKy Tofu in it as a remnant. 

I’m not sure what to say.  It’s been 6 hours since STiNKy Tofu ruined two of my five senses.  I doubt I will ever fully recover. 

The only way I can make this into a positive situation is to warn you about this unbelievably horrific culinary experience. 

For the love of Sweet Baby Jesus, please tell your friends.  Warn them about the undelectable horrors.  About the damage this could do to their dining enjoyment, their dietary health, and the devestation this could bring to the Chinatown economy.  It’s too late for me, Roman, Christian, and Matt, but I hope it’s not too late to spare you a similar STiNKy Tofu disaster.  Please.

Thanksgiving has been a wonderful holiday this year.  So far we have had ZERO kitchen fires, a big improvement since last year’s highlight of flaming corn souffle (imagine accent mark here).  Also, the weather has been great.  I think its about 36 degrees everyday . . . who likes the mid-70’s of California?  I’ve also found some new training partners to kick my ass. 

This is me and Pat training together.  Usually I just call him “Dad”.  We do recovery rides together . . . that’s when I just sit on his wheel and beg for mercy. 

This is Annie, our borrow-a-dog-4-the-holidays.  We do our morning walks together.  She doesn’t like the leash, tug tug tug. 

Annie is special.  She can get an apple stuck in her mouth. 

Yesterday my mom asked me how to make an apple pie. 

I told her.  She made the pie.  We ate it.  We all agreed it was a wonderful pie.

My mom then turned to me and told me how to make a pie as good as hers, mouth full of apples, crust, and vanilla ice cream.  Unbelievable.  The woman just asked me for a recipe, followed it, and then turned around to give me more advice.  Do you see what I am dealing with here? 

. . . or atleast that’s what they looked like in my dream last night.  Actually, it wasn’t last night, it was this morning cuz I couldn’t fall asleep last night.  But I’ll tell you a little more about this awesome kit.  It was kind of a dirty blue with lots of brown.  The front doesn’t say “ValueAct Capital” anymore, it says “UC Berkeley”, but its definitely a kit for VAC.  And this is the best part - on the back is a sepia picture of Lisa, our director, and teammate smiling and wearing western style hair bonnets.  ??????  The entire kit has a western theme, it would be perfect for racing that Central Valley Classic rr out in the cuts.  Another good part about the kit was the cut, the jersey was nice and covered half my thighs.  Who can I talk to about making this vision of beauty a reality? 

Women’s Cycling Fashion Tip #47 - Glam is out, western wear is in.

Thank you for all the sweet comments regarding Lola . . . what a treat to wake up and have some positive notes waiting for me!  This morning I took our borrowed dog Annie for a nice walk, she is a golden retriever and I will show her to you soon.  She is getting a make-over before I do her doggie glamour shot in the fall leaves.  Gotta go ride!

Mondays are the worst day of the week for me.  I should be packing up my bikes and heading home to visit my mom and dad for Thanksgiving, but I am sitting here just missing my beautiful puppy princess who left me this summer for a trip to heaven.   So I wanted to post a sweet picture of her . . . this is how we celebrated the holiday together last year: a nap on the living room floor after a big dinner. 

I just can’t believe that someone this cute and sweet ever existed on the face of this planet and that I was lucky enough to have her even just for a short time. 

Hoping that everyone travels and cooks safely this week with lots of love!