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11/02/08

Posted on Nov 6th, 2008 by onyourleft : Gaia Child onyourleft
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Pictured above part of the crowd waits in the downtown Oakland Marriot hotel as election results come in. But this is a blog of events two days before. 

I went to the Hayward Demos for a couple to phonebank the Swing States. Afterward as I drove on Mission there was a long line of people with Yes on 8 signs.  They were probably there because there had been a No on 8 vigil the night before. 

Not an original idea in the bunch. 

There sure were a lot of them but on the corner across the street were 3 fabulous women standing in a tiny traffic island, a Mom and her two 20 something year old daughters with No on 8 signs. Did I mention the day was cold, windy and pouring rain?

Drivers honked in support of them. How do I know? I saw several drivers honk and if the Yes on 8 people cheered they would indicate with a thumbs down or other gesture of the hand "that was not for you, bub" ;-)


I circled back around, parked, then walked down Mission waving my No on 8 sign over my head to cheers from the ladies and jeers from across the street. 

I did not want to think much about that those jeering are my neighbors. I told the gals I can't stay long because I was going to put signs up on our bike/ped overpass.

That's another story. 

It's pouring rain, the Mom was in a t-shirt, I gave her my rain jacket. I was wearing an old one, no big deal I'd found the jacket free when someone lost it at an athletic event. And I am the queen of outdoor gear so it's not like I don't have many more, even had another in my car.

At first she refused. She said they vowed to stay there till the Yes on 8 leave. 

I said she had to keep it, "it's the Christian thing for me to do" after all she's out in the rain on our behalf. She laughed. 

I think it made a point to the fundies as I handed her my jacket, turned as she put it on and headed back to the car in my shirt in the pouring rain .... that's the kind of support we have! Take that!! 

Whether it's been phone banking, visibility issues or just moments like that I've met some great and very supportive people. 
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How to choose a dojo Part 1

Posted on Nov 14th, 2008 by onyourleft : Gaia Child onyourleft
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Two of my next door neighbors homes got robbed today. This brought up a little bit I wrote a while back about self defense. 

Martial arts is not self defense although training could be useful in that heaven forbid I ever need it .... again  

A self defense class is not martial arts. 

A good self defense class may be mixed or women-only, take 1-3 days and give you good basics. Check schedules of an adult school near you or ask your local police for a recommendation. 

Puhleeeese, don't even talk about kick boxing in the gym. Fabulous aerobic workout, fun, get you in great shape .... worse than useless as defense. 

My Sensei (teacher) is a woman, the classes are mixed. And it's a good thing. 

I like training with the guys, they like training with me. In a good dojo they will treat you well. I like knowing that if some 6'5" guy attacks "alrighty there big fella, you're shorter than Scott and I can throw and pin him" and the guys like knowing if someone 5' nuthin' attacks .... nah, that's not gonna happen. 

But when we do some techniques like koshi nage they run the other way because it's soooooo hard to do with someone shorter  And sensei comes around and tells them "if you can throw Onyourleft koshinage, you've got it!" 

If you would feel safer taking a class that you look for a good self defense class. 

Martial arts is a life-long commitment, not a quick fix. My goal is never stop learning, and never use it.  If you decide to take up an art look for a good teacher. Don't worry about the style. Look at the school and teacher. 

How did you feel about the teacher & school? 

Watch a bunch of classes especially beginner classes, you're going to be one for a loooooooong time. 

How do they treat beginners? How do they handle someone training with an injury? Do they warm up? Cool down? Do they seem concerned with safety? 

We're so lucky in my school that unless she's away all classes are taught by the head instructor. Very unusual for someone of her rank. Go to a bunch of different classes because at most schools different advanced students teach different classes. 

Watch an advanced class. You should feel inspired, almost a sense of awe. That's your teacher! That's your style. 

That's how I felt when I first saw Aikido demonstrated. At the time I was already 2nd kyu (upper level brown belt) in Wa Do Ryu Karate, I saw Aikido at a demo and said "I gotta do that.". Two days later I'd signed up. That was about 1980 ... here I am still trying to learn it. Guess I'm slow  or it's something you never master. 

www.ai-ki-do.org

Well, off to the dojo. Have fun, be safe everyone. Happy Thanksgiving.  
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How to pack for AIDS Lifecycle

Posted on Nov 26th, 2008 by onyourleft : Gaia Explorer onyourleft
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The 'bag o' the day" method works for me. Some pack by category ie: bag of socks, bag of jerseys, bag of shorts .... whatever keeps you organized. You don't want to waste time in the morning hunting for gear. The idea is get out of camp quickly. 

Each bag had socks, shorts, jersey, bra.... everything for a day in the saddle. 

One bag is marked "cold" with long sleeve jersey, full finger gloves and undershirt, wool socks. Even in California in summer you may need it.

Another bag was for red dress day, another bag had no jersey, why? I buy a Lifecycle jersey on the ride. The other 4 bags pretty normal bike outfit. 

I bring 2 large plastic garbage bags. 

My routine is arrive in camp, park bike, eat dinner first! I learned that here and from my tentmate on 3, then put up tent (or find that kindly and super ultra fast tentmate had done that already-thanks  ALC 3 & 4 tentmates if you're lurking) drag luggage to tent, grab sweatshirt and sweat pants and shower stuff, toddle off to enjoy toasty warm clean shower, once clean and changed to clean sweats toddle back to tent and toss sweaty smelly toxic waste bike clothes into garbage bag.  

Spend rest of time in camp in clean, warm and comfy sweats 8-)

You will find that crumbled up bike clothes take less room, the bag compacts on itself. I brought no street clothes. In fact on my last  ALC's I flew back in bike duds 8-)

You have to light your tent and light your way back to it. I also brought some little things to wear each day, paper leis, toy neclaces to give to the kids who come to the towns of like Bradley where they hold a BBQ for us. The kids and parents apreciated that, getting something from the riders.

Lastly let this be your AIDS Lifecycle packing slogan:

If you can't ride without it bring two. 

If you can do without it don't bring it. 
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My first attempted back to back century

Posted on Nov 26th, 2008 by onyourleft : Gaia Child onyourleft
my first try at a metric century was a training ride for the AIDS ride from SF to the RussianRiver, camp overnight then ride back. Got to the top of the first hill and a rider passed me and turned right...

First lesson I learned of cycling: just 'cause someone turns does not mean they are on your ride!

I followed them. Golden Gate National Seashore is breathtakingly beautiful, and I'd love to ride it again someday, anyday, anyone!? 

But those 20 miles were not on our route!  

Ten miles out I realise I'm lost, ride 10 back and by then everyone, which includes my camping gear and car keys is in front of me, decided nothing to do but forge ahead. 

From there I was on the route all the way. 

Due to a series of near misses that are comical now, David the ride organiser thought I was ahead of them all. C'mon, it's me! Ahead??? He kept pulling up the route signs ahead of me, luckily I had the map. 

I was about 15 miles from the end when I stopped at a tiny store to "make my own rest stop". David who by then had been to the end and "where's Trek?" was going backwards in a panic to find me. Boy was I glad to see his truck. Tired, hungry, cold, fog rolling in, I gladly took the ride in. 

Deffinately some moments of panic out there in the most remote parts of Sonoma and Marin counties thinking "no one knows where I am".
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Climb as I say, not as I do.

Posted on Nov 30th, 2008 by onyourleft : Gaia Explorer onyourleft
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Disclosure; I don't climb well. I'm a sit and spin and someday get to the top kind of gal. Climbing on a bike seems like the best example of athletic effort that combines strength and knowledge. 

It's not enough to have strength or just technique. Without the combination of the two you will suffer. 

Sometimes we suffer even WITH both. 

Some days you will feel there is not a low enough gear for the hill and some times you feel like you need more resistance from the gears. 

Here are a couple ways to get both gears. 

Some call this "the magic gear". On a climb where you "run out of gears", you're in the lowest of granniest of granny gears and wish there was a lower one just shift it 1-2 gears higher (this may mean shifting under load and sometimes .... you just can't do that! but if you can with proper technique, that's another blog post...) then climb standing till you've got a little rest then voila!! shift down 1-2. 

It's magic, lower gears!

Or if you feel the need for higher gears and more resistance ...let the bike come to you. If you need some resistance to climb standing feather the pedals and let it slow down a little till ... voila! 

You can stand. 

Learn to climb standing in the pedals. It rests the muscles you sit and spin with, stretches your back, hamstrings. You use alternate muscles and get a little rest and stretch on the road. 
 
Watch pro racers climb and you see them rocking the bike as they do. Don't worry, you won't fall over. 

The feeling I try for is not rocking the bike but relaxe the hands and you toss it back and forth lightly like tossing a light bean bag from hand to hand. Keep the upper body relaxed, especially hands and wrists. 

Don't forget to breath! 

Pictured above I ride Bike Against the Odds, a ride that benefits the Breast Cancer Fund. My smile is twofold. I'd just climbed Old Tunnel Road feeling faster and stronger than ever before and I'd just taken advantage of another tip; using the angle of a banked turn to give a miniature descent just into a climbing turn. It was just enough to get me up that next steep bit. 

Photo by Mark Fong, Marc Fong, Jr. and Carol Melanie Galan who provided photographs for the Breast Cancer Fund. Photographs may not be reproduced, copied, televised, digitized or used in any way without permission of the Breast Cancer Fund and/or the photographer.
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