Last day as 23

I am deeply concerned.

I have been watching my roommates conspire all night.

They say they have a puppy upstairs. But I haven't heard a puppy. They made me hide in my room.

They keep giggling. They won't let me look at the computer.

But luckily, I have survived. I will be 24 tomorrow.

I will soon know what they are doing.

End of summer

Things accomplished this summer

• Ice Cream Club, with Cherry Whiskey, Salted Carmel, and Gin-Cucumber sorbet this week
• An undefeated season of softball in the category of moral victories
• Stitches
• Transatlantic journeys
• A return to poetry, reading and writing
• One upcoming family visit
• The least demanding marathon training program ever
• One faux Tea Party
• One new crush- Luxembourg cyclist Andy Schleck

Things avoided and/or missed this summer

• Long and painful tubing trips down cold, low capacity rivers
• Golf
• A general state of sobriety
• Saving money
• Realizing that I need to find a new job

All in all, I would say that it has been a good season. I'm ready for the next season which includes my birthday, Michigan football season, the actual marathon, and more ice cream club.

End of August

Marathon training is progressing well.

One of my brilliant friends is in L.A. and going to be competing on Jeopardy! We had a happy hour review session in which we all brought our knowledge to the table to improve her chances of winning. We also coined the term "Jalapeno popper" which involves touching spicy peppers and then touching people inappropriately. We were told that this is mean and should not be done even in retaliation.

I am watching Harry Potter on ABC Family because it is on almost every weekend and it is awesome. It is also 8:15 and I am ready to go to bed.

This week should prove to be interesting. Never a dull moment.

Middle of August

I am ready for autumn. Let's go football season, crispy leaves, and long, exhilarating bike rides.

I am watching the Bachelor Pad, proof that there is nothing good on in the summer, and I will watch almost anything on television.

My most favorite sent me an illustrated copy of Class in a Classless Home because she is awesome, complete with a family tree.

H. Clinton was seen today in a marigold pant suit.

Today Was Not Great

Below is my List of Greivances for today:

• At 3:00AM this morning my cat threw up
• At 3:05AM I fell, bearing my entire weight onto my right knee, after I slipped in cat vomit, taking out a huge dent in my leg
• It took me until approximately 4:30AM to fall back asleep because my knee hurt so much
• I missed yoga
• I vowed to not watch or read about the Tour until I got home from work, but then I checked facebook and saw a post about it
• What I found out is that Andy Schleck was not able to shake off Alberto Contador on the Tourmalet
• I was told by many people (concerned roommates, coworkers, mother, etc) that I needed to go a clinic and get my knee looked at
• I was at the clinic from 4:00pm to 7:00pm
• I had to get two stitches and a tetanus shot
• I can't run, bike, or do yoga (or anything else really) for the next 10 days
• Who has to see a doctor because they fell down in the middle of the night in cat vomit? ME
  

Today I was grateful that I have health insurance, and I had a $10 credit at the clinic, my copay was only $5. I don't know if I'll be billed for the rest.

Flights of Fancy

For the last five years, I have looked forward to July. For the long days, the time off of class, and the general sense of contentment aside, I look forward the Tour de France.

It wasn't love at first. Sure, I have a predilection for sports that are slow to watch. I really enjoy watching golf and seeing the events unfurl. I like the drama, the long, drawn out process leading towards, hopefully, a solid climax (yeah, that's right, I made a comparison to sex. It was intentional).

I watched the first parts of the Tour with Mattison, who helped explain some of the strategies, some of the players, and the culture of the sport. At first, it was too confusing to enjoy. I didn't have a connection with any of the racers or teams. I watched a handful of stages, and it didn't connect.

Over the years, it changed. Summer TV is bad, so I would turn it on in the background in order to have conversation fodder with my boyfriend. Then I started paying attention. It became a challenge to me, to remember the stage winners, the riders in the maillot jaune, and which jerseys belong to which segment of the competition. That way, I could have the chance to impress my cyclist friends if the opportunity presented itself.

And this year, something happened. A combination of knowing enough of the riders and having some explosive first stages, I care. I care a lot. Shockingly, it's the first time I haven't been able to watch the race with the person who introduced me to cycling.

The last few days I have been obsessed with Andy Schleck. I've liked him and his brother, Frank, for a long time but now I've launched myself into a fan frenzy.

Not going to lie. I like him mostly because he's a young rider, and I think he's absolutely adorable (tall, thin, blond, and kind of awkward looking- gets me every time). I think it's awesome that he and his brother are on the same team. After reading his blog for CyclingNews, he seems like a great guy.

I am not sure what it is about me, I suppose I have a kind of creepy, kind of addictive personality. But in a way, it's kind of fun to get really wrapped up in something like this. Sure, it's a sport. It's not going to change the world. You could say it is shallow, but I don't really care. I'm going to be hooked on this race until it ends, rooting for Schleck all the way.

Ukraine

I got to see Mattison.

And magical, wild horses

And rode on trains

And met Mikhail Bulgakov and Behemoth

And hung out at the Hidropark

It was great.