Last I wrote here, I still rode bicycles.  That has not been the case so much these last few weeks, much to my dismay.

Why?  Oh, well, I went ahead and set a date for my Master’s defense sometime in September (back when bicycles and riding of bicycles was still a feasible activity).  The date set for the defense happened to be five weeks away at the time.  My reaction:  %$$^%#$%#@ ME!!!!!!

So the bicycles went up on a hook and stayed there, collecting dust, in my office, where I had to look at them, hanging there, dejected.  Or maybe it was me who was dejected… I went into emergency response mode, glued my toosh to the office chair, and wrote, and wrote, and did not ride bikes.

Fast forward to today.  No, I have still not ridden bikes (ok, that is not entirely true, but mostly), but the important thing is that now I can!  I passed my defense!  I am a Master!  My reaction: #$&*^ YEA!  I realize that is not a very articulate reaction, but I am tired and can no longer be (or try to be) articulate.

I am currently wasting time on the Interwebs instead of riding bikes, because now, some small part of me feels like I should always be at the computer doing something.  I doubt that will last long.

And tomorrow, guess what?

Tailgating and a football game!  Oh, and you thought I was going to ride bikes.  Well, maybe that, too.

And yes, it is time to start prepping for 2010.  The 2009 season was mostly a wash for me, between surgery and eating pavement one too many times and oh, that school thing.  In fact, one year ago today, I could not even lift my left leg.  It’s pretty amazing how the body can recover.

Anyhow, I am pretty pumped for 2010 and ready to ride bikes.  A lot.  That, and Specialized D4W is shaping up to have quite the roster of accomplished ladies, who also happen to ride bicycles, fast.

Oh, and I’m going back to the dirt next year (part-time, anyhow).  And maybe I’ll finally ride that cyclocross bike…  The possibilities are endless!

In the meantime, here is a picture for you all to laugh at: me racing Expert MTB back in the day at the fresh, young age of 19.  That is a lot of orange and yellow.  Good times.