Oh no…another blog or who are you and why are you doing this?

The Jamis Coda Sport. The machine that will power me through Bike4Sight on the 21st...I call her "Cat Bird" because shortly after I rode this bike for the first time a cat bird sat on the handle bars. And, a cat bird for thsoe unfamiliar with them.


I never thought about keeping a blog before. I’ve read plenty. Political blogs to just silly fun things. But the idea of my own blog? That’s crazy talk. The pressure of keeping to one theme, one line of thought was overwhelming.

Titan, my dog (picture above) suffered from Fanconi Syndrome a disease sadly not uncommon for his breed. I’ll go into more detail about this horrible disease in a later post. It was then I started thinking about writing about the experience. Then Titan took a turn for the worse. It was suspected he had a brain tumor in addition to the fanconi. Eventually we had to have him put down. Needless to say I wasn’t up for posting an online journal during that time and after Titan died so did the inspiration for the blog.

Fast forward 2 years and here we are. The idea for starting up a blog resurfaced shortly before my friend and mentor Mike was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Stuck for ideas I started reading a variety of blogs, mostly mundane stuff and realized that maybe all I needed to do was just start writing and see what came out. Lord knows I have no shortage of opinions. So I figured I would learn as I went. Learn about writing, about journals, about fanconi and basenjis, and whatever else crossed my path.

Over the next few months came ever distressing news about Mike. His awesome wife Danna started a blog with the help of friend CSM to keep friends and family and supporters updated on his condition—and hers. I count myself lucky to live close by so I can visit Mike and Danna and lend a hand.

The whole Mike situation makes you realize just how powerless you are over just about everything in your life. I mean you can control some things like what you wear day to day or what you eat for lunch. Assuming you aren’t destitute or living on the street. But some things defy human control. One of the devastating elements to Mike’s condition is his vision loss. There are hundreds of other complications involved in his care and treatment right now but, IF he can overcome those odds the vision loss will remain with him. After visiting with Mike one day I thought about how much most of us depend on our sight. I have no idea what I would do or how I would cope losing partial or even all of my sight. I think not well.

While these thoughts rattled around in my brain I was having a battery of physically exams, everything from the inside out was up for inspection. Happily I remain in good health except for my weight (an ongoing issue for several years) and now my cholesterol is dangerously high. I’ve been given 3 months to change my diet and exercise to see if that has any impact on the numbers, other wise my doc wants me on Lipitor or the like. Aiee!

It just so happens that last summer I bought a bike so I would be able to exercise. I used to ride a lot in my teens thanks to a wannabe bike racer boyfriend and I really enjoy it. After the recent visit to the Doctor I figured I’d be spending a lot more time on my bike but I was going to need something to really motivate me while I get in shape.

And along comes a flyer for an organization The Center for the blind and Visually Impaired. They assist in rehabilitation for adults who have experienced recent vision loss. Suddenly it all came together the blog, doing something concrete for Mike and assisting my own health all in one.
So on May 21 17 days from now (aiee aiee!!) I’ll be riding in the Bike For Sight benefiting CBVI in honor of Mike. I’m doing the “Short Ride” of 13 miles. I could have maybe taken on the 25 mile ride but as I have NEVER done a charity ride before I figured why not start small and work my way up. During this time I’ll be making posts about my “training”

I started riding again after the winter in Mid April thanks to some really amazing weather, not too hot or cold. I’m riding about 6.5 miles over rolling hills and flat terrain. There are a couple hills that I consider HUGE (I‘m sure any fit cyclist or amateur club rider would consider a blip) near by that I’ve recently been able o climb non stop. I’m pretty proud of myself…Tour de France look out!