How Do you Lose Weight in an Italian Family? Arthur Avenue Revisited!

I am sure that many of you saw my "cookie expose" recently where I was going to implant a Navy Seal into my home to restrain me from making cookies. Well, believe it or not, I got a reply from that post saying that this new friend was trained by an expert in the "Secret Navy Seal Cookie Maneuver"..... so .....he thought he could qualify to restrain me both pre and post cookie making. LOL. I had a good laugh at that! He was very clever!

But none of us really suspected that my sissy was the one that needed the NAVY SEAL...because just 2 weeks before my birthday rolled around (it is today), I was told by my sissy, that a package was coming and it had cookies in it! She read my blog...but what good Italian girl would not want a cookie, she reasoned!

So, I waited and waited for this package to be delivered to my work place.....called my nutritionist frantically shouting "Cookies are Coming! Cookies are Coming!" and quickly developed a plan to deal with them once they arrived.

But they did not arrive. Day after day I waited....but no cookies. My birthday was approaching and still no cookies! I kept asking at my office if they had arrived, and I even saw a big suspicious box, but alas, it was not mine. On Thursday, I called the office again and low and behold, they had opened the suspicious box and it WAS mine...only now my name had morphed in Lucietta Navalle....a good Italian girl!..finally..... this was my box!

I opened it up and inside....I saw...my favorites......taralli's! A wonderful spicy pretzel like "cookie" that are addictive...everyone says they are and I have had the ultimate taralli eating addictive experience...I cannot stop eating them. They came from Little Italy.... a wonderful Italian deli on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx called Teitel Brothers.

So now I was faced with a dilemma. It was Thursday afternoon and almost 5pm. Would I take the taralli's home and eat them (2 bags) or would I eat a few and share the rest? I decided the latter as my emergency plan.

I started handing them out in my office. The social worker told me I looked like a priest. He was probably in a euphoric state created by eating too many taralli's! Joel said I was holding the taralli up and saying "Take....eat...." He was rolling on the floor telling me I was acting like a priest handing out communion! It was a religious experience giving away my taralli's!

Needless to say there was more in the box..huge olives , provolone cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, aborio rice, porcini mushrooms and more.

Well, I decided that I would invite a few friends over to share the wealth! I am making a wonderful Italian meal to enjoy with them. Abondanza!

Breaking News! WRW Opening Cycling studio,Muddy Buddy and Fat Cyclist!

Women Riding Well is opening the first indoor cycling studio in Albuquerque! It will be called Simpatico and will officially open on January 2, 2010. It will be located at 7103 4th Street NW. Google this address now and tighten up your cycling shoes and get ready to roll! This will be the official home of Women Riding Well. More information will follow!

I am looking forward to getting a race report from guest blogger, Stephanie Tiger. She and a few friends are at the Muddy Buddy race in Arizona. Here is the race description! Each race features a 6-7 mile course and 5 obstacles. At the start of the race, one team member will run and one will ride the bike. At the 1st obstacle, the rider will drop the bike, complete the obstacle, and begin running. The runner will arrive, complete the obstacle, find their bike, and begin riding. Teams will continue leapfrogging each other through the entire course. At the end of the race, racers will crawl through the infamous Mud Pit crossing the finish line together!
I am hoping for some mud-luscious photos!

My favorite Bike shop, High Desert , is having a spin class each Wednesday night. Get ready at 6pm for a start at 6:30 pm. They have space at the Paseo and Louisiana location for up to 30 people and they have not hit their max yet. If you have not been to their new location yet, you are in for a treat. Nice men....great stuff! What could be better?

We are all still holding our breath to see how the throw down with Johan Bruyneel and the Fat Cyclist Community turns out! Will keep you posted!
Cece

Pink Glove Dance

If you have not seen the Pink Glove Dance yet please click on this link. I saw the making of this video on TV when Charlie Gibson made this hospital the "Person of the Week."

The Providence St. Vincent's Medical Center in Oregon made the video to bring awareness to Breast Cancer. Each department in the hospital made a part of the video...from the custodians to the doctors to the office workers to the cooks.
cece

Joe! How Can it Be 13.5 Degrees in Albuquerque?

BURR!!!!! Baby It's Cold Outside!

I need to use this forum to have a talk with Joe "Buenos Dias" as they call our local weatherman. Here goes:

Joe! Where is the "Buenos Dias" (nice day ) in this weather? How can it possibly be 13.5 degrees in Albuquerque with no sign of a warm up during the day? When I arrived at my office I was reminded, by an athlete friend, that the wind chill made it only 4 degrees! What a greeting! Thanks Jeanne! URGH!

Joe! How am I supposed to get on a bike in this freezing temperature? You are a cyclist and a Triathlete! Can't you conjure up some warmer weather for us? Pleeeeease?

Why the rant?

I woke up this am to frozen water pipes. It reminded me of when I lived in NY and I had to go into the basement with my hair dryer each morning to unfreeze the water pipes so I could take a shower .

Why the rant?

I guess I am going to become real good friends with Troy Jacobson,....although why I purchased "Have Mercy: the Sequel" I have no idea except that perhaps a fit of insanity struck me when I went to Spinervals online.

Why the rant?

OK. So. Here is the source of my complaining. I promised a friend at work that I would show her where the Bosque Trail entry is near our office. It is a short drive down Mountain...and voila! There we are! She is a roller blader. I will be on foot today as moral support for a friend who is nervous at being on the trail by herself... I will use my deadly but wonderful martial arts skills in case an attacker approaches! LOL!

I wonder what Nanook of the North looked like? I could carry a spear and think of it as an Okinawan bo....so that I stick with the martial arts focus! I am sure I will look like Nanook today during our walk. I will take pics! On the other hand, I think I will skip the pics! LOL

I am bringing all kinds of clothing...even socks...which I hate to wear and only wear when I am either on a bike or at the gym! I think this calls for the inaugural wearing of my new Fat Cyclist socks. Fight like Susan socks...this is appropriate!

Well, needless to say , my friend Melissa was not prepared for our walk. She thought it was too cold. I told her to "Bundle up girl...we're going!"...except she had nothing to bundle up in. So, I gave up my socks and gloves and hat and headband and, and......off we went.

We work at a stressful job...and ultimately.....and yes I said ultimately....exercise takes the edge off the stress!

After all this, I hate to admit it...but it was a beautiful and pleasant day...VERY cold with no wind...Maybe Joe did put his 2 cents in after all "Buenos Dias!" AND I walked fast enough that I stayed warm...imagine that!

..."While Visions of Sugar Plums Danced in her Head..."

Advertising! This is what I am up against .....as I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head! The photo below says,"I don't think there is anything like receiving a big box of homemade cookies for the holidays!" This is why I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head!

I finally understand what this phrase means! It has to do with my lusting over homemade Christmas Cookies! It all happens between my ears, and in my mind's eye as I lust after those perfect buttery cookies.....and soon enough I start baking! I start gathering ingredients.... and compiling the butter and sugars and special toppings...........ohhhhhhh..... this is devilish territory!

AND these dancing sugar plums may have to do with my plan for this upcoming holiday season!

I plan to hire a NAVY SEAL who can pull tactical maneuvers on me in order to restrain me from baking cookie upon Christmas cookie this year. I figure if he can just move in with me....then he can be constantly vigilant for me...so that I do not make AND EAT cookie upon Christmas cookie! This sounds like the making of a hot romance novel! I better patent my story line!

It all started long ago when my mom would bake literally hundreds of cookies that we would give away as gifts to our family and friends. As kids we loved to help my mom bake these cookies and assemble the tins with the cookie papers that separated each type of cookie. AND we made layers of cookies that we took pride in presenting. AND ....lest you think they were just pretty....they were also delicious and were a sign that our favorite holiday was upon us! Cookies are love!

My sister and I became expert cookie makers. We have all my mom's recipes
and all of our favorite family recipes which we get much praise for making and distributing.

So what is the problem you ask? I will speak for myself and not my sissy. The problem is....I EAT THE COOKIES! I eat the raw batter and I eat the cookies. I eat the toppings that go on the cookies. I have to taste them to see if they are good right? I have to make sure they are presentable, right?

Well, this year NOT RIGHT! I am going to hire and move in that NAVY SEAL over the holidays....probably within the next few days...then I will move him out about January 10, 2010 after all the parties are over.....

In the mean time, he can help me make pies. Pies are good. I am a great pie maker...especially with a helper.... and we can make a few pies and bring them to the parties!

You cannot sample a pie before it is delivered...and he and I can have a piece of pie and still keep our physiques in great shape!

Cece

Can I Beat the Clock? I take it all Back Troy!

See Team Clydesdale blog link at right for newest post. I actually put it on the wrong blog and now cannot figure out how to put it here...without re-writing...alas!..anyway this is another part of me that you might like to see. Yes! I am an Athena woman and will always be one....even with all my weight off I will always be a big girl! That is just how it is!
Cece

I Cursed at Troy Jacobson Today!

It was not a pretty sight! And this is AFTER I got off the bike!

I confess that I cursed at Troy Jacobson today! The first time I cursed at him was at minute 28 as I contemplated getting off my bike...while being haunted by my own motivational phrase (she spit) "Do or Do Not...there is not Try!" Why did you even get on your bike then, if you were not going to see this through? It was ugly.

The video is 90 minutes.

I was suffering so and Troy was sooo happy as he shouted "PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!" I was dripping so much sweat I was blinded and when I opened one eye, I saw the beads of sweat pooling up on the surface of my kinesio tape...and finally it pulled right off my shoulder! It was ugly!

Early on he said "If you forget where you are....." he should have said "When you go into a coma...." I cursed again....and again...and again.

Then the final straw. After dueling with Troy to the end of the DVD...a voice comes on and says "And I hope that you have a new appreciation of your ability to endure discomfort." yeah right...tell me that.

Hours later as I showered and got ready for an evening out...I remembered those words as I attempted to put deodorant on my forearm rather than my underarm...and I realized I was still in a Spinervals induced coma!

If you would like to share in my suffering...see the link at the side!

cece