Most training rides typically include a stop at a gas station for drink refills, snack, potty break or whatever. This past Saturday’s ride was no different.
I walked carefully around the store, not only because walking in cycling shoes is as awkward as walking in ski boots, but because I was taking careful inventory of what I wanted to eat. I decided on a turkey sandwich and proceeded to the cashier.
My total was somewhere around 3 bucks. Once I finally fumbled and bumbled my plastic baggie containing my wallet out of my jersey pockets, I heard the cashier say something to me. “Excuse me?” I replied. I couldn’t hear him through my ear warmers.
“I said, ‘Thank you, by the way.’”
I stared at him confused.
“For putting your money in a plastic baggie,” he said as he pointed at my wallet. “Usually, you cyclists come in and pull wet bills out of your jersey pockets and hand it to me. I’m sorry, but I don’t want your soiled bills. It’s gross. So, thank you for using a baggie.”
I stood there for a minute. He was absolutely right. That is very gross. When you think about it, sweat is mostly just less concentrated pee. And would you want to handle cash that someone has pee’d on? Probably not unless you have a pee fetish. And if you have a pee fetish…well, that’s a different blog.
So, my fellow cyclists, please be considerate and keep your sweaty dollars to yourself. Use a baggy and make someone’s day!
Happy riding!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Missing You Now
From a forum friend of mine, GlennK, responding to my inquiry about how cancer has affected your life:
"Great-grandmother died of colon cancer at the age of 56 (never knew her)
Grandmother died of lung cancer at the age of 64 (I was 13)
Mother died of kidney cancer that spread across her entire body and was dead within 86 days. For my birthday present (which was four days away), I sat by her bed asking and crying for her to let go. She did and the pain was over....
I have never shared this with anyone:
Missing you now....
Your gentile voice...Your loving nature...
Patience and comfort...
Respect and understanding...
I can still hear you now
From within my soul guiding me now
Protecting me from those whom would hurt me
Helping me to understand how to respect and love myself
You always tried to help me see the best in myself
Even though it was impossible for you to do yourself
You tried your best and for that, I will always love you
Now that I see you here
gasping your last breaths
wishing I could do something to ease your pain
all i can do is let you move on
knowing, I will miss you...
One day, I will see you again
I know you are waiting
When that day will be, I don't know
But know this, I love you so
So, if I begin to forget you
Please forgive me now
I don't mean to, its just you just seem so far
oh, how I am missing you now... "
Thank you Glenn for that beautiful poem.
You can help fight Cancer...
"Great-grandmother died of colon cancer at the age of 56 (never knew her)
Grandmother died of lung cancer at the age of 64 (I was 13)
Mother died of kidney cancer that spread across her entire body and was dead within 86 days. For my birthday present (which was four days away), I sat by her bed asking and crying for her to let go. She did and the pain was over....
I have never shared this with anyone:
Missing you now....
Your gentile voice...Your loving nature...
Patience and comfort...
Respect and understanding...
I can still hear you now
From within my soul guiding me now
Protecting me from those whom would hurt me
Helping me to understand how to respect and love myself
You always tried to help me see the best in myself
Even though it was impossible for you to do yourself
You tried your best and for that, I will always love you
Now that I see you here
gasping your last breaths
wishing I could do something to ease your pain
all i can do is let you move on
knowing, I will miss you...
One day, I will see you again
I know you are waiting
When that day will be, I don't know
But know this, I love you so
So, if I begin to forget you
Please forgive me now
I don't mean to, its just you just seem so far
oh, how I am missing you now... "
Thank you Glenn for that beautiful poem.
You can help fight Cancer...
Monday, January 11, 2010
I'm Actually Speechless
Dude, WTF? Even if you are getting paid to wear this, you had have been dissappointed when you showed up for team camp, opened your team kit and saw this staring back at you. And the National Champions on the team wiped their forehead's and thought, "My win at the big dance could not have come at a better time." The bike is pretty sweet, though.
Friday, January 8, 2010
I Want to Hear Your Cancer Stories
I know it seems early to be talking about an event that is still 6 months away. But, with 1500 people dieing EVERY DAY in the U.S. from Cancer, I figure it's never too early to begin fundraising to find more treatments.
For the 4 years I have particpated in 24 Hours of Booty, I've ridden in memory of my Grandmother, Jillian L. Penda, who died of Ovarian Cancer when I was 13. Last year, friends and family helped me topple my fundraising goal and inspired me to ride over 300 miles during the 24 hours. It was a fantastic and draining milestone. For the fifth installment of Jodi's Booty, I've decided to do something different.
The scope of cancer goes well beyond just me and my Grandma. So I am asking my friends and family to tell me their stories. I want to know how Cancer has affected your life. I want to know the names of those you have lost and of those who have survived and of those currently fighting. From now until the start of the event, I will post your stories to this blog and to my fundraising page. On the day of the event, I plan to attach all the names I have gathered to my jersey and I will ride with every single one of them on my mind.
So, if you'd like, please share your stories in the comments section of this Blog or if you are my Facebook friend, leave in on my wall. Don't know what the 24 Hours of Booty is? Check out my Blog from last years event: http://jodiwinterton.blogspot.com/2009/07/24-hours-of-booty-part-1-gypsy-road.html
Care to donate? Visit my 24HOB fundraising page.
Thanks to all of you willing to share:
Squirrel Master (forum member)
I lost my 28 year old cousin Dec 4 2008 from lung cancer, never smoked or worked around any asbestos or any other bad stuff. I think about him every day, and miss him more than anything.
E. Tinker (forum member)
A couple of years ago my wife was diagnosed with melanoma and had to have a milignancy removed...luckily she is very cognizant of her body and noticed the early warning signs before things got to a more serious stage (she caught it at the in situ stage, meaning it hadn't developed further than the first few layers of skin). We now have to be very diligent aboout things like her exposure to sun and checking for any other odd skin growths.Considering that melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer we do live with a certain fear of recurrence...but we've also educated ourselves and familiarized ourselves with the early warning signs so that we can be be proactive and not get caught off guard.
ridenfish39 (forum member)
It (I hate using that word) took,My father at 49 (renal cell cancer) This was 10 years ago and it still affects me greatlyMy fathers mother (pancreatic, I never met her)My mother's sister at 50 (brain cancer) My uncle at 38 (he smoked, lung cancer)My fathers sister shortly after he died (skin cancer)and other people I knew as friends.
BipBip2fast4you (forum member)
My best friend Serge died at 20. I met him when we were 5. We spent so much time together on the way to school, in class, after school, he was always helping me 'cos I forgot my books or so all the time, playing together so often. He makes me discover the 1st pc I've ever seen and much more. Just before dying he was always there for me. I wanted someone who could record a video of me sliding in the snow with my car. He was there in the cold while I, stupid idiot, was having fun. He died a few weeks after that and I can't take the fact out of my mind that may be it was my fault if he got cold and dies so early. I'll never know but I decided that I 'll live my hole life for both of us."Today is the 1st day of the rest of your life, enjoy it." My wife's mum and dad at 58 and 72.2 of my uncles.and so many...A special thought for my cousine Nathalie fighting it at the moment, on her way to win her battle.
Jodi Brenner
My Dad died of Pancreatic and Liver cancer 5 months after he was diagnosed. It has been almost 14 years and it hurts now just as much as it did back then! His brother passed away almost 4 years ago from the same thing... My Dad's name is Joseph Lee Brenner.
Alison Gehringer
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago. She had a double masectomy almost immediately. Right now she's cancer free but it haunts her. Her mother and sister died from cancer. So did her brother. Now her other sister has it. Seriously??
Benita Tahbaz Stokes
I lost my mother on April 18, 2009, three months before I gave birth to my daughter. She was diagnosed in late January and started treatment in February. She was determined to live long enough to see my baby but the cancer was to tough on her. She had emergency surgery in March and just couldn't come back from the surgery. She died in the hospital a month later. I hate cancer and don't want to ever go through that again with anyone. I was lucky that she did get to be with my son for almost three years of his life and she made a lasting impression on him. He talks about her all the time. I just wish my daughter could have also met her. My mothers name is Karin O. Christensen - Thanks! It felt good to write this down. Havent talked much about it.
Sonja Van Holderbeke
My dad died of lung cancer, he was first diagnosed with throat cancer, so they removed his tongue and voice box (it might not be the right word, sorry but i'm Belgium...) he was fine for 15 years till the cancer came back in the form of lung cancer, he died after a very long battle on strong painkillers. His name is Roger Van Holderbeke.
Neil Taylor
I have never suffered personally, but working in Oncology and watching what the families go through deeply affected my attitude towards smoking, smokers. I never pass up an opportunity to chastise a friend or family member for engaging in it. Cigarettes kill 500,000 people a year. Every couple of years we should write our congressmen and senators and ask them to put an end to the Federal Subsidizing of Tobacco farms.
For the 4 years I have particpated in 24 Hours of Booty, I've ridden in memory of my Grandmother, Jillian L. Penda, who died of Ovarian Cancer when I was 13. Last year, friends and family helped me topple my fundraising goal and inspired me to ride over 300 miles during the 24 hours. It was a fantastic and draining milestone. For the fifth installment of Jodi's Booty, I've decided to do something different.
The scope of cancer goes well beyond just me and my Grandma. So I am asking my friends and family to tell me their stories. I want to know how Cancer has affected your life. I want to know the names of those you have lost and of those who have survived and of those currently fighting. From now until the start of the event, I will post your stories to this blog and to my fundraising page. On the day of the event, I plan to attach all the names I have gathered to my jersey and I will ride with every single one of them on my mind.
So, if you'd like, please share your stories in the comments section of this Blog or if you are my Facebook friend, leave in on my wall. Don't know what the 24 Hours of Booty is? Check out my Blog from last years event: http://jodiwinterton.blogspot.com/2009/07/24-hours-of-booty-part-1-gypsy-road.html
Care to donate? Visit my 24HOB fundraising page.
Thanks to all of you willing to share:
Squirrel Master (forum member)
I lost my 28 year old cousin Dec 4 2008 from lung cancer, never smoked or worked around any asbestos or any other bad stuff. I think about him every day, and miss him more than anything.
E. Tinker (forum member)
A couple of years ago my wife was diagnosed with melanoma and had to have a milignancy removed...luckily she is very cognizant of her body and noticed the early warning signs before things got to a more serious stage (she caught it at the in situ stage, meaning it hadn't developed further than the first few layers of skin). We now have to be very diligent aboout things like her exposure to sun and checking for any other odd skin growths.Considering that melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer we do live with a certain fear of recurrence...but we've also educated ourselves and familiarized ourselves with the early warning signs so that we can be be proactive and not get caught off guard.
ridenfish39 (forum member)
It (I hate using that word) took,My father at 49 (renal cell cancer) This was 10 years ago and it still affects me greatlyMy fathers mother (pancreatic, I never met her)My mother's sister at 50 (brain cancer) My uncle at 38 (he smoked, lung cancer)My fathers sister shortly after he died (skin cancer)and other people I knew as friends.
BipBip2fast4you (forum member)
My best friend Serge died at 20. I met him when we were 5. We spent so much time together on the way to school, in class, after school, he was always helping me 'cos I forgot my books or so all the time, playing together so often. He makes me discover the 1st pc I've ever seen and much more. Just before dying he was always there for me. I wanted someone who could record a video of me sliding in the snow with my car. He was there in the cold while I, stupid idiot, was having fun. He died a few weeks after that and I can't take the fact out of my mind that may be it was my fault if he got cold and dies so early. I'll never know but I decided that I 'll live my hole life for both of us."Today is the 1st day of the rest of your life, enjoy it." My wife's mum and dad at 58 and 72.2 of my uncles.and so many...A special thought for my cousine Nathalie fighting it at the moment, on her way to win her battle.
Jodi Brenner
My Dad died of Pancreatic and Liver cancer 5 months after he was diagnosed. It has been almost 14 years and it hurts now just as much as it did back then! His brother passed away almost 4 years ago from the same thing... My Dad's name is Joseph Lee Brenner.
Alison Gehringer
My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago. She had a double masectomy almost immediately. Right now she's cancer free but it haunts her. Her mother and sister died from cancer. So did her brother. Now her other sister has it. Seriously??
Benita Tahbaz Stokes
I lost my mother on April 18, 2009, three months before I gave birth to my daughter. She was diagnosed in late January and started treatment in February. She was determined to live long enough to see my baby but the cancer was to tough on her. She had emergency surgery in March and just couldn't come back from the surgery. She died in the hospital a month later. I hate cancer and don't want to ever go through that again with anyone. I was lucky that she did get to be with my son for almost three years of his life and she made a lasting impression on him. He talks about her all the time. I just wish my daughter could have also met her. My mothers name is Karin O. Christensen - Thanks! It felt good to write this down. Havent talked much about it.
Sonja Van Holderbeke
My dad died of lung cancer, he was first diagnosed with throat cancer, so they removed his tongue and voice box (it might not be the right word, sorry but i'm Belgium...) he was fine for 15 years till the cancer came back in the form of lung cancer, he died after a very long battle on strong painkillers. His name is Roger Van Holderbeke.
Neil Taylor
I have never suffered personally, but working in Oncology and watching what the families go through deeply affected my attitude towards smoking, smokers. I never pass up an opportunity to chastise a friend or family member for engaging in it. Cigarettes kill 500,000 people a year. Every couple of years we should write our congressmen and senators and ask them to put an end to the Federal Subsidizing of Tobacco farms.
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