The Climb to my Birthday!

As you know, a lot has happened in the past few months. The most important thing that happened is...ready for it? MY BIRTHDAY! Martie, what ever did you do for your birthday, you might ask. Well, let me show you. :-)



Learning all about rock climbing gear!






Just a hilarious shot! SNL (aka, Sarah) using Tom to balance as she puts on her rock climbing shoes. By the way, rock climbing shoes are the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever put on my feet. And they're not cute either. I'll put up with throbbing foot pain for the sake of fashion, but this went against everything I believe in. Yes, I wanted to go rock climbing THAT much!



Finally getting to climb. Gosh, the harness is just as flattering as the shoes are!





SNL and Tom give it a go. Tom took off like a rocket. So unfair!





SNL on the descent.



Dave, showing he can be like a spider and make it to the top, too!

The experience was a great one. Our instructor sprinkled the lessons with real life climbing stories. Some did not end well, as to "drive the point home" about the importance of reliable gear and pre-climb checks. I'm so glad that Outdoors, Inc. has rock climbing classes. After completing the class, people can use the rock climbing wall on their own. After all the stories, I think I'm going to stick to indoor walls with kooshy mats to break any falls. :-) I think using the wall at Outdoors (in Cordova) is something like $5.00 an hour. Not much to pay for some fun and challenging exercise.

Well, Hello!

It seems I've been on a hiatus. Ok, I cancelled my home internet connection. I'm at "Charbucks" as we speak. All hail for free internet!! Now, if I could just stop with renting so many "on demand" movies (not the free variety, of course), maybe, just maybe, my cable bill won't be so scary.

For ages now, I've been wanting to really challenge myself, physically. Working out is a HUGE bore. Running is torture, but I do it because I love to eat. Anyway, after wondering if I could do it...and convincing myself I couldn't, I decided to prove myself wrong and participate in a triathlon! Trying to finish a 1/2 mile swim without drowning was my biggest fear. Shockingly, though, my body adjusted easiest to the swim training. Ok, so, I'm not a fast swimmer, but each day, the distance and time was easier than the last!

August 1st, I completed my challenge. It. Was. Awesome. I've definitely have the "bug" now! I think I, literally, swallowed it along the course. Oh, and on the run, it swarmed around my head for a good quarter of a mile.



It was a "dock" start. We all went into the water in 3 second intervals! No mad dash into the water.




Finishing the very hilly 23 mile bike part of the course.




Almost there...I can smell the bbq!

Overall, I was super slow, but steady. There were about 175 participants and the volunteers were wonderful. It was such a perfect introduction to triathlon racing. I'm looking very forward to next year's season. Watch. Out.

Celebrity Snubbings!

So, anyone who knows me, knows that I love, love, love…LOVE comedy. Just like the “beat goes on,” so does my list of favorite comedians. When I received the Zanies (Nashville) flyer showing Tracy Morgan on the schedule, you could say that I was all a-flutter. You would also be making a cosmic understatement. I immediately made plans to go to the show, even though, I had other obligations in Memphis that weekend. No problem…I’d try and leave work early on Friday, then drive back Saturday, early afternoon. Nashville is only about 3 or 3 ½ hour’s drive, however, I seem to ALWAYS find bumper-to-bumper traffic at some point along the way. So, at least one leg of the trip ALWAYS takes more like 5 hours.

My friend was keen on making a quick trip to see Tracy Morgan, then drive back. She had a hot date on Saturday night. Let’s face it, my friends and I do have our priorities in order. Comedy first, then hot dates. :-)

So, Friday morning began to set the tone for the rest of the day; last minute packing; busy at work – would I even be able to leave on time? When I finally picked up my friend and we were on our way, I breathed a sigh of relief…too soon. Bumper to bumper traffic on the interstate AND we weren’t even out of Memphis yet. No worries. Luckily, I was right beside an exit…well, two lanes over. So I inched my way over to the exit ramp (thank you truckers who let me over) and skipped the portion of the interstate that was grid locked. We actually made the trip in really good time.

We stayed at Hotel Indigo, which is really nice, but the lighting in the room is much to be desired. Especially, if one intends on applying make –up…which we did. The front desk guy, Bag (I swear that’s what his name tag said), laughed the entire time he was checking us in. Okay, so my friends and I are goofy, but I didn’t think we were THAT funny. Bag asked if we wanted one or two queen sized beds. My friend immediately said, “two”…then turned to me and said, “unless you want to spoon.” To which I replied, “it has been a long time, but no thanks, I’m good.” Bag could not stop giggling.



On our way to Zanies! We're big pimpin' in the hotel's "shuttle!"

Off to the show we went. We arrived at Zanies super early so that we could get seats close to the stage. Maybe Tracy Morgan would razz us. We were able to get seats pretty close to the stage. Score! We ordered drinks and appetizers as we waited for show time to arrive. When the first warm up comedian took the stage, I figured it would be a good time to use the restroom. I certainly didn’t want to miss any of Tracy Morgan’s set. When I walked out of the bathroom door, into the cul-de-sac that was the hallway to the restroom, who was standing there looking at the photos of comedians hanging on the wall? TRACY freakin' MORGAN! I had to walk past him to leave the bathroom area & get back to my seat. If I didn’t say something to him, I knew that I would mentally kick myself for the rest of my life. So, as I walked passed him, I lightly touched his arm and said, “Tracy Morgan, I’m so excited that you’re here!” He looked at me with a blank look and looked back at the photo’s hanging on the wall. No, “thanks”…no, “screw you”…nothing. So, I just smiled and walked off.

That experience might have skewed my view of the show, but I really don’t think it did. When Tracy Morgan took the stage, immediately, we all thought he was wearing a woman’s shirt. It was the long sleeved type of shirt that has the fabric tag & button so that you can roll up the sleeves and fasten the tag to the button to make it into quarter sleeves. And he did have the sleeves rolled to quarter length. Soon, it became evident that he was not drunk, but not sober. That said, in his defense of the earlier "snubbing," it's quite possible that he thought I was a really tall illusion.

Well, whatever…as long as he’s funny, right? Funny, yes. Utterly vile and disgusting, very. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like gross/dirty comedy, as long as it’s funny, but Mr. Morgan kinda went over the line…A LOT. One of his jokes was about ordering off of the expensive (lobster/steaks, etc.) side of the menu. He warns his date that “That’s the three finger side of the menu. Three finger minimum." I won’t tell you what is done with those three fingers. Let’s just say, it made me dry heave. He also talks about running red lights…and he’s not talking about driving…

Yeah, it was dirty, he wasn’t a gracious celebrity, but it was still fun. But…the night didn’t end with the show. Afterward, there were more drinks to be had, arguments with idiots who want to discuss politics and Christianity, but only have one line of reasoning (literally) and who just keeps repeating that one line, until the other person gets frustrated and gives up. Then (almost) strangers thinking it is okay to smack someone else’s butt in public.



Having fun after the show...even after the "butt smacking" incident.

On the way home, of course, we ran into bumper to bumper traffic…in true "Martie" fashion, the trip took close to 5hrs. Was it worth it? Hands down, YES! I got a story out of the whole ordeal, didn’t I?

More Bicycling Weekends!

What, at the time seemed like the hottest day, so far (until the next day), was also the day of the 20, 40 or 60 mile bike ride to benefit Juvenile Diabete's Research. My friend and I decided on the 40 miler. Me on my steel framed 35 lb+ mountain bike, "Big Bertha" and her on her lighter hybrid bike. Here we are bright eyed and busy tailed. The temperature was only about 85 degrees at this point...8:00am.

















At each 10 mile marker, there was a "SAG" station. I believe it stands for Service and Gear, or something like that. It's a place to refresh on fluids and eat some fruit or carbs...or both! We survived the first 30 miles and were even still smiling. Along the way, we met a lady, wearing a Betty Boop cycling shirt. She was a complete riot. And not just because of the shirt. At the mile 30 SAG station, we asked her if we could take a picture of with her in her Betty Boop shirt. Well, she thought we wanted to take a picture IN her Betty Boop shirt and said, "do you want me to take it off." As you can see, after a slight laughing fit, we explained to her that we did not want to wear her stinky, sweaty shirt, but wanted her to be in a picture with us!
















After leaving the 30 mile SAG station, the wind, heat and lack of shade was really beginning to catch up with me. Not to mention lugging Bertha up all the hills that they seemed to save until the end! Needless to say, we did NOT take any "after photos." The fact that we survived was enough. By the time we finished, the temperature was 97 degrees!

The next weekend, our casual, fun group ride headed downtown for a stop at the Memphis Farmers Market. Since, the heat index has been close to and into the 100's pretty consistently, we decided to start at 7:30 am, instead of our usual, 9:00 am start. What a difference an hour and a half makes! The market was buzzing with activity and the booths were stocked. Normally, I arrive at 11:00 am, when it's all "slim pickin's"













If you haven't had the opportunity to make it to the Farmer's Market, definitely get there before the season ends! It's well worth it, but arrive early for the best selection.

Discovering New Places

One of this weekend's cycling expeditions started in Midtown. We made our way downtown and stopped of at Bluff City Coffee Shop, on South Main, for a refuel of light snacks and caffeine!



We then made our way to Harbortown. I had the opportunity to climb the Auction St. Bridge for the first time on my bike. It was even much harder than I anticipated. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to show the severe steepness of the bridge. I was too busy peddling! After biking through Harbortown, we rode down Second St. for the trek back to Midtown. Along the way, we noticed the house that was once a slave haven and stop on the Underground Railroad. I knew it was somewhere close to Second St., but never saw it before. It's amazing the new places (right under your nose) that you discover atop a bicycle!

We didn't have time to walk through the museum, but did take a breather long enough to pose for a couple of pictures.







Until Monday (which was a whopping 22 miles), this was my longest ride yet - 18 miles! But aside from that accomplishment, it was so much fun. Can't wait for future discoveries!

Five Senses Friday

Seeing - In honor of bicycle month and, especially, bike to work day:















Tasting - As the days get hotter, stawberry ice cream cravings are more frequent!

Feeling - Content and grateful to spend the holidays with family and friends.

Hearing - Comedy by Megan Mooney!

Smelling - One of my new favorite scents; Banana Republic's "Republic of Women" perfume

Happy Friday to all, and to all, a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

It's All a Blur

This weekend was fun filled, but quite busy. As soon as I get a chance to stop and smell the pollen, I realized that the weekend's almost over. It's a conspiracy, I tell you, a conspiracy. Monday's definitely in on it...

The weekend kicked off with my volunteering at the Brooks Museum for the annual "Bicycle Film Festival." One of my fan club members showed up - but that's a different story. He's not only a member, he's the President. :-) It was such a great event. Memphis had a cycle to B.F.F. meeting point at Court Square downtown. Early in the evening, there was a wave of cyclists approaching the museum. It was pretty cool to see. Some bikes and cyclists were especially fun to watch.


The most creative bike of the night, definitely went to this guy. You can't make it out, but the neon lights of his bike say, "Burn Fat, Not Oil." Love it.

After volunteering ended, I was able to stay and catch some of the movies. A few of my favorites included the Scraper Bike King. I was able to find some youtube stuff:

Here's a clip from the movie:


The rap theme:


Saturday, a couple of my friends and I biked to one of my favorite places on earth (second to Paris), Stax Museum.


The ride wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. The roads were good and only one car, that I remember, passed us really closely. The museum...it was awesome, as usual.


Me with my friends, Robert and Trina. How fly would my bike look as a scraper bike? Yeah, I want one.


Trina and me (aka, Miracle Grow)


The funniest thing, that I don't have pictures of, was the group of 14 Asian tourists who wanted pictures posing with us and our bikes...one at a time. They were so hilarious.

When I got home, I had a message from one of friends from college. She was going to be in Memphis participating in her first triathlon: the Memphis in May Triathlon. So, this morning, I made my way to Millington just in time to cheer her on as she approached the finish line.


Here she is afterward...still smiling. I was hot and tired just standing in the heat!

Five Senses Friday

An idea borrowed from one of my favorite sites, Pink of Perfection...here are mine...

Seeing: Signs of new life. Trees in bloom.















Tasting: BBQ, in honor of Memphis in May.

Feeling: A cool spring breeze with the return of happy hour...outdoors!

Hearing: Rediscovering a classic. I find, "Honey Hi" relaxing when spring fever tries to get the better of me.


Smelling: Lush jasmine shampoo bar.

Bike for Brunch

This past weekend a small group of my friends and I biked from Midtown to Downtown Memphis (about 10-12 miles) for brunch. We figure it's a good way to enjoy the weather, friends, get exercise and check out a new eatery...even if it's only new to us!

Apart from being windy and slightly chilly, the weather was beautiful. One thing we didn't factor in, was area colleges' graduations. U of M had two ceremonies at the FedEx forum, back to back. Luckily, I was with seasoned cyclists who knew, immediately, how to tweek our route to avoid heavy traffic.

We decided to give Beignet Cafe a try. I had been there for drinks previously and loved the atmosphere. Also, I heard that they expanded their menu and were now offering breakfast/brunch items.







They really have done so much with the space that they have. A sitting area to read, work on a computer or chat with friends while enjoying some chicory coffee. An upstairs and downstairs dining area as well as quaint, little patio.

We decided to enjoy the sun and sit on the patio. There were very few diners there and right from the start, the service was much to be desired. When we finally received breakfast menus, there were very little choices. Two breakfast options to choose from and a side menu that included: biscuits, toast, grits, bacon, sausage and fruit. When the waiter returned, we asked if we could order off of the lunch menu. He returned with the menu, which was MUCH better. Shrimp and grits, club sandwiches, salmon blt, a pletherea of salads, just to name a few things. Our waiter took ages to come back and take our order. Then, when our food arrived, one of the orders was wrong. The waiter apologized and said that he would have the kitchen correct it immediately. At least 15 minutes went by, the waiter delivered food to tables around us, without as much as an update on my friend's food. We all offered her portions of our plates, in the meantime. It took at least 30 minutes for him to bring her corrected, club sandwich to her.

The waiter was very friendly; however, seemed unaware at how poor the service was. Once it arrived, the food was amazing. When our food arrived, we even ordered beignets for dessert...because 1) we didn't know when we'd see our waiter again and 2) heaven knew how long it would take for us to receive the beignets. Well, our timing was perfect. The beignets arrived just as we were finishing our meal. They were just like the beignets you would be served in Louisiana.

All in all, Beignet Cafe's food was delicious, the atmosphere was authentic and hip, but the service was atrocious. I would love to take a book and sit in one of the comfy chairs while enjoying a fresh cup of joe. But would hate to try and eat a meal there when I'm hungry and they're busy.

Howdy Stranger

Ok, so, I know I've been on hiatus lately. So much has happened...computer on the fritz and went on a vacation to the Dominican Republic! It's only been a month ago, but it feels like ages since I went on vacation. Is that an indication that I need another vacation, pronto? If only my budget would allow!

Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic is amazing. Really. Amazing. The country's quite poor, but the people seem quite educated. At least the people that I communicated with; although, my view might be somewhat skewed, since I really only saw the airport and resort.



The airport was mostly open and had a hatched roof! I began to worry when they made everyone pay $10.00 just to enter the country. Then I really started to worry when I realized that my taxi driver was, in fact, not afraid to die. Thankfully, I survived the taxi ride to the resort...because the resort was pure heaven!





Snack bar to the left and beach straight ahead. I could really get used to this...



Fresh coconut milk? Why yes, I'll give it a go!



Winding down at the bar!


At the casino with our Spanish friends. This casino was where "fun went to die." Somehow, we still managed to smile, though.


The water was cold and the sun was hot. Quite possibly the best pool...ever.


It was a beautiful day at the beach!

Normally, I go for the "rush-rush" vacation. Live like the locals, see everything there is to see in a limited amount of time. By the time it's over, getting back to reality is almost a welcomed relief. As they say, needing a vacation after the vacation. So this relaxing, resort beach vacation was very out of the norm for me. As you can see, I managed a good time. I can't wait to go back! Who's with me?!

I'm What?

This ends the 4th week since I've made a conscious effort to eliminate sugar from my diet. It's getting a bit easier to get used to they way foods, like coffee and oatmeal, taste without sugar. Although, I still use creamer in my coffee. It does contain a little sugar (vanilla silk creamer has 3g), but I refuse to give up my creamer!

Last week, I went to the doctor. Since my old doctor retired, I saw someone else. Seeing someone new always causes me great anxiety. Doctors are not my favorite people. It seems that, although, the industry has certain consistent standards, there is such a huge spectrum of philosophies within the profession. Not to mention some pretty strong personalities. When I find a doctor I like, (easy going, promotes a natural method for staying healthy instead of a chemical method), I am extremely loyal. Anyway, I saw someone new. I liked her straight away. Since she had never seen me before, she ordered a full panel of lab work, just to get a baseline.

Earlier this week, the nurse called me with my lab results. Diabetes and hypothyroidism runs in my family, so I'm always nervous that lab work will show a problem in those areas. Well, she said everything was fine, except that I was very deficient in vitamin D. Um, excuse me? How is that possible? I don't live in London or Seattle...She said that it was more common than people think. Since a number of adults work indoors a majority of the day, they don't absorb enough vitamin D from sun exposure. I thought about it for a minute; I am a firm believer in sunscreen. It's rare that any part of my skin that's exposed, isn't protected by sunscreen. I stopped drinking (dairy) milk about 6 years ago and eat very little dairy. And during the winter months, I'm inside at work shortly after the sun rises and coming home just after the sun sets.

As soon as I got off the phone with the nurse, I immediately started reading about vitamin D. How could I recognize if I'm deficient in the future? I found this article that gives a pretty good overview, in layman's terms. Fatigue - yes, moodiness - yes, always in the winter time (I loathe the winter), more body fat? Hmmm. I also read on another site, that people who experience difficulty in losing weight and/or notice a tendency to distribute fat in the abdomen, should have their vitamin D levels checked. Well, who knew?

It will be interesting to see how supplementing my diet with 2,000 I.U. (international units) of vitamin D will affect my energy level and weight loss. This week, I'm down 2 more pounds. I've been feeling like I'm catching a cold, so I haven't really exercised much this week. Hopefully, I'll get back into my routine next week.

Bumps in the Road

It's been 3 weeks since I decided to (try and) eliminate sugar from my diet. I live on the 6th floor of my building and have become accustomed to taking the elevator. The elevators are old and slow. There's no telling how many minutes I lose waiting for elevator. So, unless my hands are full of heavy groceries, I've started using the stairs. It's actually not so bad. By the time I want to abort taking the stairs, I'm almost to my floor.

After losing a few pounds (3 to be exact), I had to go out of town. Although, I tried to make smart meal decisions, it was difficult. When eating out, I couldn't be sure of how something was prepared, and I refused to be one of those people. You know, the one who makes restaurant servers want to put visine in their food. Needless to say, my weight remained constant over the weekend. But it was better than putting the weight back on!

Once I returned from my weekend trip, I was back on track with my diet. I lost two more pounds! Then. The. Weekend. Happened. Oy vey! Saturday night, I hosted a "Girl's Night In - Game Night."


While we're still somewhat coherent...


I have no idea what Shanda is "miming."


And the winner of "Guestures Best Performance" goes to....Trina!


I made a vegetarian version of scalloped potatoes. We had plenty of food and sugary cocktails. Of course, I indulged. A LOT. Those two pounds I lost? I found them again. Just a side note...we played a game called, Partini, and it was a blast. The packaging, in and of itself, is fun. I'm such a sucker for packaging.

This week, once again, I'm back on track. Yesterday, though, I had a huge craving for sugary sweets. I had some dark chocolate cooking chips at home, so I had a handful of those. My hope was that if I indulged a little, I would satisfy my craving and avoid it overwhelming me to the point that I would completely binge. It worked pretty well. I wonder if the craving was my body's reaction to the sudden change in my sugar intake. Seems logical, right? Although, I am still getting sugar from fruit each day...but according to the video previously posted, sugar from fruits & veggies aren't so bad, because it's offset by the fiber contained in the food.

This morning, I weighed myself; 2 more pounds gone! That's a total of 5lbs since I made a conscious effort to nix sugar from my diet.