Today in Albuquerque:
Record snowfall... way over one foot of snow. I just can't get away!!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Pics and stories from the big snowstorm
Last Wed., I looked out the window at 8 AM. I saw a light dusting of snow, but was not what I was expecting after the foreboding weather forecast the night before, suggesting we'd get 2 ft of snow. I said, "Oh, it's not BAD at all!! I'll make my flight today. NO PROBLEM!" Almost instantly after I said that, huge snowlakes aggressively started to BLOW horizontally. Just hours later, the roads were totally covered and the storm was socked in. Flights were getting canceled right and left with the Denver airport eventually closing down for 2 days leaving 65,000 people stranded. By Wed. night, all of Boulder was shut down. I told the story of the food conquest in my entry "later Wed. night." so see that and some of these pics will make more sense. It snowed more in Colorado today. (I am in Albuquerque) I decided to get a ride with my friend Jack and not deal with the airport BS on Saturday when I was supposed to fly out. I thought I could just take my flight back. I called the airline, and after being on hold for 45 minutes, they told me that they cancel my return flight if I don't take the flight out. And not only that...but they were going to charge me a $100 FEE. total BS. This was Frontier airlines. After spending a lot of time on the phone with this sarcastic agent, I was angry. I tried to find cheaper flights back- 1 way flights. They were 200 bucks. Rental car- 120 bucks+gas. I called Frontier back and after holding, talked to someone else who said I could take my return flight back for no fee. Normally they would charge me 100 bucks, but b/c of the conditions in Denver, they aren't doing that. So all is well, but I could have lost 100 dollars. I'm really glad my dad encouraged me fly back. I was disgruntled to say the least. Now I can relax, but getting here has been a nightmare! I started my training camp too...easing into it with a 2 hour ride yesterday and going big today with a 4 hour ride. I'm shooting for two 18 hour weeks. It is pretty cold here in Albuquerque too, with snow on the ground.
The Dark Horse: where I had my burger. AKA the ghetto townie bar. I actually went there several times last year since it was across the street from my apt.
This is definitely a port in a storm!
They try to play matchmaker. Everyone goes into the wrong bathroom the first time. The door marked "men" is actually not the men's bathroom. The door marked "women" is the men's bathroom.
Ahhh yes. Nothing like a dark beer. :)
Running in the snow! Thigh high... FUN! I dove in head first too.
This is a car
Snow shots! (some I stole from Liz's blog)
My hair was frozen.
The Dark Horse: where I had my burger. AKA the ghetto townie bar. I actually went there several times last year since it was across the street from my apt.
This is definitely a port in a storm!
They try to play matchmaker. Everyone goes into the wrong bathroom the first time. The door marked "men" is actually not the men's bathroom. The door marked "women" is the men's bathroom.
Ahhh yes. Nothing like a dark beer. :)
Running in the snow! Thigh high... FUN! I dove in head first too. 
This is a carSnow shots! (some I stole from Liz's blog)
My hair was frozen.
See An Inconvenient Truth.... our future depends on us working together.
I wrote this post a month ago, but am going to publish it now. We have been asleep and careless. It's time to wake up and
change the way you live. To make a difference, you don't have to make big changes. Some people think this movie is political, that may be. But global warming is a HUGE issue. A lot of these facts ARE scientific facts. There are a lot of things you can do to stop global warming. Please take a stand.
You can go to climatecrisis.net or just google global warming if you want more info. This is something to really think about.
You can reduce your carbon emmissions to zero:
-Buy energy efficient applicances (Energy star) and lightbulbs (like CFLs)
-Change your themrostat to reduce energy for heating
-Weatherize your house, inc rease insulation, or get an energy audit
-Recycle everything you can, this includes 1 and 2 plastics
-If you can, get a hybrid car
-Walk or ride a bike, you'll feel better too
-Use light rail and mass transit when you can
-Tell your parents not to ruin the world that you will live in
-If you are a parent, join with your children to save the world they live in
-Switch to renewable energy sources
-Call your power company to see if they offer green energy. if they don't, ask them why not. Some energy companies even
offer solar credits if you install a system
-Vote for leaders who pledge to solve this criss
-Write to congress
-Plant trees, lots of trees!
-Speak up in your community
-Call radio show and write newspapers
-Get involved with joint international efforts to stop global warming
-Insist they freeze co2 emissions
-Reduce our dependence on foreign oil, help farmers grow alcohol fuels
-Raise fuel economy standards. Don't drive your SUV around unless you are carrying other people or a load
-If you believe in prayer, pray that people will find the strength to change
-Put knowledge into action, move your feet.
Facts
-2005 was the hottest year on record
-We release 70 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every single day
-USA is the biggest contributer to global warming
-In 2000, it rained in Antarctica (instead of snowed)
-Polar bears are drowning from lack of ice to rest upon
-There is more CO2 in the atmopshere now than in the last 650,000 years
-Last july, Mumbai, inda had 37 inches of rain in one day
-In 2004, for the first time in recorded history, there was a hurricane in the south atlantic
-If Greenland melts to a certain point, which it is on its way, sea level will raise 20 feet knocking out NYC, Florida, most of
Shanghai, and other countries
-Within the decade, there will be no more glaciers in glacier national park. Glaciers are melting at a rapid rate
-Water around the glaciers heats up and melts the ice around it. The sun doesn't refract after water like it does ice.
All these climate changes we have been seeing and "natural disasters" are not a coincidence. We lost New Orleans, what's next?
change the way you live. To make a difference, you don't have to make big changes. Some people think this movie is political, that may be. But global warming is a HUGE issue. A lot of these facts ARE scientific facts. There are a lot of things you can do to stop global warming. Please take a stand.
You can go to climatecrisis.net or just google global warming if you want more info. This is something to really think about.
You can reduce your carbon emmissions to zero:
-Buy energy efficient applicances (Energy star) and lightbulbs (like CFLs)
-Change your themrostat to reduce energy for heating
-Weatherize your house, inc rease insulation, or get an energy audit
-Recycle everything you can, this includes 1 and 2 plastics
-If you can, get a hybrid car
-Walk or ride a bike, you'll feel better too
-Use light rail and mass transit when you can
-Tell your parents not to ruin the world that you will live in
-If you are a parent, join with your children to save the world they live in
-Switch to renewable energy sources
-Call your power company to see if they offer green energy. if they don't, ask them why not. Some energy companies even
offer solar credits if you install a system
-Vote for leaders who pledge to solve this criss
-Write to congress
-Plant trees, lots of trees!
-Speak up in your community
-Call radio show and write newspapers
-Get involved with joint international efforts to stop global warming
-Insist they freeze co2 emissions
-Reduce our dependence on foreign oil, help farmers grow alcohol fuels
-Raise fuel economy standards. Don't drive your SUV around unless you are carrying other people or a load
-If you believe in prayer, pray that people will find the strength to change
-Put knowledge into action, move your feet.
Facts
-2005 was the hottest year on record
-We release 70 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every single day
-USA is the biggest contributer to global warming
-In 2000, it rained in Antarctica (instead of snowed)
-Polar bears are drowning from lack of ice to rest upon
-There is more CO2 in the atmopshere now than in the last 650,000 years
-Last july, Mumbai, inda had 37 inches of rain in one day
-In 2004, for the first time in recorded history, there was a hurricane in the south atlantic
-If Greenland melts to a certain point, which it is on its way, sea level will raise 20 feet knocking out NYC, Florida, most of
Shanghai, and other countries
-Within the decade, there will be no more glaciers in glacier national park. Glaciers are melting at a rapid rate
-Water around the glaciers heats up and melts the ice around it. The sun doesn't refract after water like it does ice.
All these climate changes we have been seeing and "natural disasters" are not a coincidence. We lost New Orleans, what's next?
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Later Wed. night
I'll have pics of the snow for you later...don't have my cable to upload photos. Anyway, my crazy roommate Brent loves to drive his little Mazada MX-3 in the snow and is quite good at it. He decided to try and go xmas shopping yesterday afternoon with all the mayhem. Nevermind the fact that people were stuck on the freeway and had to spend the night at various establishments along the freeway. He was nice enough to drop me off at Brian's so I didn't have to have an epic adventure with my bike trying to get there. I was supposed to leave last night and had no food. Brian had no food either. So we walked to Wild Oats which isn't too far, about 10 minutes. Closed. We decided to hoof it to Noodles which was another .5-1 mile further. Closed. Wendy's and McD's closed too(Not that I would eat there). So I suggested we keep going and check the Dark Horse- which is this crazy Boulder townie bar that draws a strange crowd. OPEN!! The only place in Boulder open. I ate a hamburger which I haven't done in like 6 years, but it was quite good :) yummmy. Coming home was a blast. There were random people in the street searching for food. Brian and I were singing xmas carols really loud and dancing in the street. Other people were walking around having a jolly old time. I decided to take the path less trodden and was thigh deep in snow trying to run. We cut across this huge field to get back to Brian's apt. There were people playing in the snow, doing snow angels, building snow forts. We were talking to them for a minute and then they randomly started a snowball fight. We schooled them and took off. I continued trying to run in thigh deep snow and had fun. I dove in head first with my hands up like I was diving! I was taking pictures and dropped my camera. Bad news in snow that deep. Fortunately I found it on my first try. It was a fun night.
Check back tomorrow and I'll have photos for you! Oh yeah, my roommate, Liz, has some pics on her blog. leapnlzrds.blogspot.com. Check it OUT.
Check back tomorrow and I'll have photos for you! Oh yeah, my roommate, Liz, has some pics on her blog. leapnlzrds.blogspot.com. Check it OUT.
Airlines...
Ok, I know you guys are all wondering, "What the F is going on up there in Colorado??" Absolute madness. Here are a series of stories for you.
First story. I was supposed to fly home yesterday and DIA shut down. All flights were cancelled. I spent the entire morning trying to get through to United. The automated reservation line would come on, but when I tried to actually talk to someone, it would just go to a busy signal or say, "doo daa dee! We're sorry, your call cannot go through. Please hang up and try again." This was really frustrating because I needed to change my flight. So then I decided to call cheaptickets.com where I got my ticket. I was on hold for...count it... an hour and a half!! I gave up on them. I kept trying to call united to no avail. Then I got the bright idea to call the website support phone line thinking I could get through. After 30 minutes of being on hold, a guy who spoke poor english kept repeating himself like a broken record that he would transfer me to the reservations line. I tried to tell him it wasn't working, but he just kept going and then transferred me, and of course it didn't work. I quit for an hour. Then, I called united again in the afternoon and got through enough to where they put me on hold for 30 minutes. The guy on the other side of the line told me that the absolute earliest flight he could give me was Xmas night. I took it, but was not happy. My plan was to try and fly standby, but after talking to my parents, I decided it was a bad idea. I checked on cheaptickets.com for new flights leaving Saturday since everything previous to that was sold out. I found a Frontier flight for the same price as my United. So I called United back, and was put on hold for 30 minutes again, cancelled my United flight, and bought the Frontier flight. My friend Jack can take my bike one way, and I have to suck it up and pay 50 bucks to bring my bike back the other way. Solid!
Today, my friends are suffering like I was yesterday and calling me for advice. I guess it's really bad at this point(no flights went out today either). I have been hearing that there are no flights on or before xmas. One guy is DRIVING to Kansas City, MI which is 8 hours away, and driving out of there. My other friend got a flight to Seattle and is driving 5 hours from there. Gotta get home for Xmas! Good luck everyone... it's going to be scary at the airport on Saturday. Gotta love it.
First story. I was supposed to fly home yesterday and DIA shut down. All flights were cancelled. I spent the entire morning trying to get through to United. The automated reservation line would come on, but when I tried to actually talk to someone, it would just go to a busy signal or say, "doo daa dee! We're sorry, your call cannot go through. Please hang up and try again." This was really frustrating because I needed to change my flight. So then I decided to call cheaptickets.com where I got my ticket. I was on hold for...count it... an hour and a half!! I gave up on them. I kept trying to call united to no avail. Then I got the bright idea to call the website support phone line thinking I could get through. After 30 minutes of being on hold, a guy who spoke poor english kept repeating himself like a broken record that he would transfer me to the reservations line. I tried to tell him it wasn't working, but he just kept going and then transferred me, and of course it didn't work. I quit for an hour. Then, I called united again in the afternoon and got through enough to where they put me on hold for 30 minutes. The guy on the other side of the line told me that the absolute earliest flight he could give me was Xmas night. I took it, but was not happy. My plan was to try and fly standby, but after talking to my parents, I decided it was a bad idea. I checked on cheaptickets.com for new flights leaving Saturday since everything previous to that was sold out. I found a Frontier flight for the same price as my United. So I called United back, and was put on hold for 30 minutes again, cancelled my United flight, and bought the Frontier flight. My friend Jack can take my bike one way, and I have to suck it up and pay 50 bucks to bring my bike back the other way. Solid!
Today, my friends are suffering like I was yesterday and calling me for advice. I guess it's really bad at this point(no flights went out today either). I have been hearing that there are no flights on or before xmas. One guy is DRIVING to Kansas City, MI which is 8 hours away, and driving out of there. My other friend got a flight to Seattle and is driving 5 hours from there. Gotta get home for Xmas! Good luck everyone... it's going to be scary at the airport on Saturday. Gotta love it.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Guess I'm not going home today....
Forecast today........
..BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM MST THURSDAY...
A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM MST THURSDAY.
SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR FROM LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 1 INCH PER HOUR. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 20 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED IN MOST LOCATIONS BEFORE THE SNOW DECREASES THURSDAY MORNING. AS MUCH AS 2 FEET OF SNOW WILL FALL IN THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS AND PALMER DIVIDE AREA.
NORTH WINDS INCREASING TO AROUND 25 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ESPECIALLY EAST OF I-25 WILL PRODUCE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND VERY POOR VISIBILITIES.
A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. SUSTAINED WIND AND/OR FREQUENT WIND GUSTS OF 35 MPH OR HIGHER WILL COMBINE WITH CONSIDERABLE FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD VISIBILITIES BELOW ONE QUARTER OF A MILE. TRAVEL WILL BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND IS DISCOURAGED IN THESE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE AND WAIT FOR HELP TO ARRIVE.
..BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM MST THURSDAY...
A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 PM MST THURSDAY.
SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR FROM LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 1 INCH PER HOUR. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 20 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED IN MOST LOCATIONS BEFORE THE SNOW DECREASES THURSDAY MORNING. AS MUCH AS 2 FEET OF SNOW WILL FALL IN THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS AND PALMER DIVIDE AREA.
NORTH WINDS INCREASING TO AROUND 25 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ESPECIALLY EAST OF I-25 WILL PRODUCE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND VERY POOR VISIBILITIES.
A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. SUSTAINED WIND AND/OR FREQUENT WIND GUSTS OF 35 MPH OR HIGHER WILL COMBINE WITH CONSIDERABLE FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD VISIBILITIES BELOW ONE QUARTER OF A MILE. TRAVEL WILL BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND IS DISCOURAGED IN THESE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED... STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE AND WAIT FOR HELP TO ARRIVE.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
A Beautiful Thing.
I didn't use my calculator ONCE this semester. In fact, it doesn't even have batteries. In previous semesters, that thing was pretty much implanted on the surface of my body. YES!
In other ground-breaking news, I got offered an RA appointment(stipend+tuition) in the Neurophysiology dept. It's supposedly 15 hours a week, although I know it will be more time than that(which is ok). And I will keep my job at Xcel and work 5hrs/week during school, and more in the summer. Big thanks to my boss at Xcel, Chris, for being so flexible and laid-back. thank you, thank you!
I'll be done with finals tomorrow and am flying home Wed. Can't wait! Lots of good times with family and friends, training, good food. yaaaay!
In other ground-breaking news, I got offered an RA appointment(stipend+tuition) in the Neurophysiology dept. It's supposedly 15 hours a week, although I know it will be more time than that(which is ok). And I will keep my job at Xcel and work 5hrs/week during school, and more in the summer. Big thanks to my boss at Xcel, Chris, for being so flexible and laid-back. thank you, thank you!
I'll be done with finals tomorrow and am flying home Wed. Can't wait! Lots of good times with family and friends, training, good food. yaaaay!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
NEWS
In the midst of everything going on, namely trying to memorize an entire physiology book(hardy har har), practicing my research presentation on cerebellar electrode stimulation for cerebral palsy, and trying to finalize my OTHER research paper on neuromuscular fatigue, I have gotten news about huge factors influencing my life for 2007.
1) I have been trying to get into the physiology dept to do research with my engineering degree, and have it be like a joint program between electrical engineering and the neurophysiology dept. I've been waiting to hear back if I got the job... last night I heard the good news! I will be doing research in the neurophysiology lab next semester. I meet with my advisor (Dr. Roger Enoka) this afternoon to get the details. He is respected throughout the world for neuromuscular research. yessss! Except now I am a SUPER nerd. Electrical engineering, neurophysiology, and a bike geek... how much worse can I get?? :)
2) Sponsorship results are in. I decided to ride for Tough Girl next year(big surprise). We have a number of sponsors in which the details are being worked out. However, I will be riding a Scott bike next year that I am VERY excited about. It's the Scott Contessa Spark. Scottusa.com. As for components, we are sponsored by SRAM/RockShox... so I'm going to riding a really sweet new bike next year. I can hardly wait!!! I am still hungry for a hardtail too....
Back to work! I'll give you details later about the neurophysiology lab job... I find out this afternoon all the nitty gritty schtuff. LATE!
1) I have been trying to get into the physiology dept to do research with my engineering degree, and have it be like a joint program between electrical engineering and the neurophysiology dept. I've been waiting to hear back if I got the job... last night I heard the good news! I will be doing research in the neurophysiology lab next semester. I meet with my advisor (Dr. Roger Enoka) this afternoon to get the details. He is respected throughout the world for neuromuscular research. yessss! Except now I am a SUPER nerd. Electrical engineering, neurophysiology, and a bike geek... how much worse can I get?? :)
2) Sponsorship results are in. I decided to ride for Tough Girl next year(big surprise). We have a number of sponsors in which the details are being worked out. However, I will be riding a Scott bike next year that I am VERY excited about. It's the Scott Contessa Spark. Scottusa.com. As for components, we are sponsored by SRAM/RockShox... so I'm going to riding a really sweet new bike next year. I can hardly wait!!! I am still hungry for a hardtail too....
Back to work! I'll give you details later about the neurophysiology lab job... I find out this afternoon all the nitty gritty schtuff. LATE!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Sorry for my lack of bloggage
HELLO.
Yes, the blogging was been very slack, but for good reasons. This is the last week of school, down to the end of the wick. I can't WAIT! It's been super duper busy with work, starting training again, and all of my school stuff my nutty professors(I wish they were as funny as the real nutty professor) trying to squeeze every last drop they can into the semester with homeworks, huge research projects, final exams, presentations, you name it! I'm feeling good about everything, but can't wait to have a moment to sit back and actually FEEL relaxed. Don't get me wrong, I can get my slack on pretty well if I want to, but I still have nagging thoughts in the back of my mind. I.E. (I should be working on....)
Anyway, you haven't missed too much. The snow is finally melting away and we enjoyed some 60 degree temps this weekend. I made cookies today and my roommate is very appreciative of my mad skillz.... made with love... a love for chocolate. I bragged about my world class cookies. Looks like I backed it up! :) :) Check out her blog(links on the side). I'm deemed the "crazy cookie lady." YOU KNOW IT, UH!
And as usual, here are some photos for you. I promise I'll be back soon.... just like Arnold in Terminator. I'm due to feed my annual Terminator marathon fix. Oh yeeeahhh!!
Adam took me to Carraba's for a very belated bday dinner. I got my favorite pasta. The waiter was entertained when I reacted to my food arriving with a big smile, and moving my arm saying, "YES!"
At least these are fake snowflakes inside!! My place... Bri having some fun
Mmmm. Brian helps me relax and smile!Saturday, December 02, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
IT'S COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So it snowed over 2 ft in Boulder a few days ago which means many things.
1) I couldn't go to work because my car was stuck from all the snow and I couldn't ride my bike since I no longer HAVE a mountain bike and it was nearly impossible. Fortunately the buses were still running, so I could go to school and do research, etc.
2) BRRRRRRRRR
3) I couldn't really exercise for a few days. WAH! Too icy to run, too icy to really ride...but I did ride the trainer for an hour yesterday, commuted on my bike today, AND went for a run, so things are loooookin up. I don't feel like a fat piece of crap anymore.
4) I finally went to work today and the room I work in used to be a concrete garage meaning....NO INSULATION!!! To compensate, Xcel Energy gives everyone these horrible individual space heaters instead of making a more efficient buidling. Did I mention that concrete bricks actually suck up heat out of the room? I guess when you are Xcel Energy, you can be wasteful and inefficient. (I still work for a good company, just ranting). So...at my computer today, the room was probably 50 degrees. I was wearing..... a shirt, a wool sweater, jacket, scarf, hat, had the heater on, AND a cup of hot tea! If it was any colder, I'd need some gloves too. GOSH!
5) Christmas music actually feels appropriate
6) It's officially winter
7) I need to winterize my commuter bike, frank the tank. I need to put knobby tires, fenders, and get the damn thing in working condition so I don't totally trash my cross bike.
1) I couldn't go to work because my car was stuck from all the snow and I couldn't ride my bike since I no longer HAVE a mountain bike and it was nearly impossible. Fortunately the buses were still running, so I could go to school and do research, etc.
2) BRRRRRRRRR
3) I couldn't really exercise for a few days. WAH! Too icy to run, too icy to really ride...but I did ride the trainer for an hour yesterday, commuted on my bike today, AND went for a run, so things are loooookin up. I don't feel like a fat piece of crap anymore.
4) I finally went to work today and the room I work in used to be a concrete garage meaning....NO INSULATION!!! To compensate, Xcel Energy gives everyone these horrible individual space heaters instead of making a more efficient buidling. Did I mention that concrete bricks actually suck up heat out of the room? I guess when you are Xcel Energy, you can be wasteful and inefficient. (I still work for a good company, just ranting). So...at my computer today, the room was probably 50 degrees. I was wearing..... a shirt, a wool sweater, jacket, scarf, hat, had the heater on, AND a cup of hot tea! If it was any colder, I'd need some gloves too. GOSH!
5) Christmas music actually feels appropriate
6) It's officially winter
7) I need to winterize my commuter bike, frank the tank. I need to put knobby tires, fenders, and get the damn thing in working condition so I don't totally trash my cross bike.
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