too happy for a mid-life crisis...so i'm calling it mid-life nostalgia

yep, this year is a milestone birthday. doesnt feel like 50 but then again how am i supposed to know what it feels like. and so far no urges to chuck it all, buy a red sports car, have an affair, or hotel surf in vegas. nope, i'm good. a little euro travel every now and then wouldnt hurt, but i'm good. what i have noticed though as i approach the big 5.0 is how nostalgic this spring summer has been. side note, i also moved which could have triggered this somehow.
at the beach this month, while walking on the beach at sunset, i recalled the teenage years of showering after sunnin at the beach all day and puttin on my crisp whites to show off my tan and having my hair defrizzed, (for like a second), and swooning over some summer boy crush and hopin my folks would let me stay out late at the boardwalk.
most evenings around dinner time this summer, i've craved beanie weenie, koolaid, watermelon, cukes & tomatoes all salted up, and other 1970s food items that were mainstays in our home in summer.
fireflies in the yard, arent simply nostalgic but sitting out in front of a brick ranch watchin neighbor kids catch them in mason jars is, and having a neighborly street where folks are all out talking is.
the ranch house i rented, even has a formal sitting room and dining room layout and for the first time in like a decade i have a dining room table set up, my grandmother's no doubt. somehow i even found myself ironing tonight on an ironing board! plus the ranch layout is just like the east point house i grew up in. with a pull down staircase to the attic.

update:
neighbor just came over with a coke float right at sundown b/c all the kids at her house were having one. they win the prize for neighborly for sure!

southern hospitality lessons...and trust me some need it

well i'm the one griping so i guess i'll be the first to offer to give some lessons. i'm born and bred here but i dont usually call myself much of a southerner what with the 3 times i've moved away FOR GOOD and then come back and all. but regardless of my transient nature, i have manners, i value hospitality and feel i was raised to offer it, accept it, and recognize a need/lack of it. being new in town is a no brainer, need situation. surprise to me though (silly girl), not everybody agrees. and clearly folks in griffin are divided.

clue #1
new in town, first day at work: no offers to go to lunch, or dinner, or bbq, or the park, or the gym, or anywhere at all, ever. not the first day, week, or month. subsequent invites initiated by me, completely ignored.

clue #2
when chatting about settling in and finding everything, no one mentions where to grocery shop, and when i erroneously name one store as old and outdated, no one says, oh by the way, they totally remodeled EVERY location of THAT store and are now THE store in town to go to. nope, just silence.

clue#3
when noting at closing time on inclement weather days, that i dont need a ride (since i commute by bike), that i'll just wait it out and if it doesnt pass, i'll take a taxi home. no one, not one mentions, oh by the way, we dont have taxis here. nice.

clue#4
my lovely neighbor couple, who i suspect have less than i do, given an early forced retirement due to mill closings in town is the one ray of sunlight and hospitality. she constantly checks on me and offers me breakfast, checks on my dog, and brings me leftovers. now that's what i'm talkin about!
no seriously, its not about free food, its about caring about folks, bein friendly, knowing what position they are in and offering to help kindly and politely. to just ignore folks after you've lured them here for a job and you know they've moved away from everything and everyone they know AINT RIGHT i tell ya. it just aint.

clue#5
this fall when some tenants move out of our downtown office building the office dictator notes that they will soon move me downstairs so I can be on the ground floor, ALONE, without windows, or social interaction. HELLO?! you people are off the charts rude, and unthinking. not just inhospitable, but clueless. ms. manners can i get a witness?

there is one exception to this behavior: bossman brings in free friday breakfast for all, most every week; granted its rarely healthy and its always fast food, but still, its a nice gesture. and i have to add that there are 2 coworkers who are very friendly and come by to chat to see how things are going, and one of them just transferred to another job in the community, so we're down to one.

here's what i would have done and will when a new person joins the organization. first day: invite them to lunch, nearby and walk, so as to point out other spots in town. if they are moving there solo and i know they live alone...first weekend festival: let them know i'm going and happy to meet them there, or pick them up. exchange mobiles to text later. a few months in: ask if they want to join a zumba class with me, or art studio, or meet at the track for walk after work. when they ask for recommendations for doctors or services in town, share that info. and if is a new neighbor, greet them a few days after they've settled in. i'm not little debbie and i dont bake but i'd introduce myself and offer to be of help if they need any.

i'm sure there's more but i've just been steaming about those above and needed to record them. hopefully this is the end of the offenses. and i'm not saying go get all betty busy body on folks, but at least offer. no one offered. and its been 4 months.

there. all better. off my chest and now i'm off to walk my dog and make friends. :)

yoga, an english pub, cafes, and art classes

griffin is shaping up y'all! out and about recently i've discovered a few more things that makes life enjoyable in one's little bubble. jeff brings a article from the AJC of a brit in town who is brewing real english ales, bitters etc...in Griffin! i walk across the street one day at lunch and find a yoga, bliss studio where the owner offers and prefers the exact style of yoga i prefer: power vinyasa flow. on my lunch hour yesterday i strolled down the street a few blocks and stopped in to bette's health food center and found the herbs/vitamins i was looking for and met the massage therapist on staff. and the stache studio, which looked crazy inviting as i was peering thru the windows, turns out to have a great set of painting classes. and the city of griffin just announced summer movies in the park at the little lunch greenspace i've been frequenting. and all these folks have a facebook page too. i'm pretty sure i'm gonna like it here...and i'll go ahead and fix up the guest room b/c y'all are gonna wanna visit. i predict.

YOGA
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blissjunky-Mind-Soul-Bodywork/128477107171922

ENGLISH PUB
https://www.facebook.com/eagleandlion

CUPCAKES
https://www.facebook.com/the.maplover#!/alycakesga

ART STUDIO
https://www.facebook.com/stachestudio

MOVIES IN THE PARK
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d5589dd9b6835d0637733f15b&id=370966cc3e

and today i had lunch at Aly's Cakes, just a basic tuna sandwich with chips & a pickle and she says dont forget to pick out your free cupcake before you leave! omg. mocha cappuccino please. and thank you.

i'm a sucker for cafes and bungalows with porches

so, as of today, griffin has captured my attention way more than peachtree city, senoia, moreland or newnan. imagine. well it boils down to cafes and porches for me. perhaps a few more things, but primarily those. every day i walk out the door to lunch and stroll til i find something. so far for lunch, downtown walkable griffin offers

• mill town gourmet cafe (sidewalk tables)
• slices pizzeria (great pie)
• safehouse coffee (hipster central)
• angelo's mediterranean (go greek here)
• 6th street pier (evenings only, will try soon)
• bank street cafe (with 'french girl on a bike' mural on the grand entry hall)
• hollywood hills pub (might wait for an escort on this one)
• janah cafe (folks say they use odd 'seasoning', cant wait to try)
• and if you really need it KFC or Firehouse Subs

Dear griffin, i am home. Thank you. also on walkabout i discover murals EVERYwhere (i'll document those soon), the local ballet company dance studio, working theatre company, sewing centers, boutiques, lawyers, doctors, realtors, and such. there are no parking meters, all the crosswalks have stripes and walk buttons, and you get to hear a train or two every day. today i picked up brochures about the 2 upcoming productions in downtown theatre spaces, formerly the opera house.

Culcha too, one can stroll to the post office at lunch or run other errands. many folks jump in cars...but not sure why yet and not curious at all. i've also found a greenspace park with stage and secret courtyard for picnics. next weekend, they host the doc holiday beer fest in the park and perhaps i'll learn about huckleberries.
a few blocks from downtown, one can pull in for an oil change, unannounced and chat with the service tech about where to bike around town. then one can roll over to the local bike shop and pick up new wheels, accessories or scoop about local outings. i'll be working with lee and sara for sure to get folks out of their cars in this area.
many of the houses have porches and are of an era i love, so we're just waiting for it to all come together with a nearby bungalow that CB and I can walk from in the evenings and I can bike to/from work daily. i think its possible.

a flurry of firsts

so today was my first day on the new job, first time selling a house, first time leaving CB in the country dog daycare (aunt connie's), first time DRIVING to work 45 minutes, first time working in a library/closet, and first time watching trains at lunch. yes, its a bunch of adjustments and a time of highs/lows but its all for the good. of this i remind myself daily.

no alarm needed this morning as the dogs wake up at 730am, but it started with me getting dressed from my aunt's guest room, running the dog gauntlet to get thru the gate(CB, Belle, Lea, Bailey, Angel, Radar), walking thru the woods to mom's house, getting in my car and heading out...wait, the car is covered in pollen, quick hose off with mom's well-placed driveway hose and heck, my water glass is empty, might as well fill it up too (yep thats how we do it in georgia).

on the road driving east in the morning, didnt i say never do that? well, hopefully once i land in PTC, the drive will be south in the a.m. so yea, a quick stop at frazier's texaco to clean the windshield was in order, then on to griffin on hwy 16 literally from a few yards past my mom & connie's property. one road, no turns, no traffic jams, time to even fidget with radio stations. surprise there are a few in range down here. roll into town and park on main street USA at my new office. no meters, no maids, no nothing, just white lines. coffee shop across and down the block.

a lunchtime foray reveals train jam at a R/R park a block away, a pretty brick courtyard reuse by the preservation office, a couple of cafes, tons of cars/trucks lined up going somewhere important, and me walking the cobblestones looking for, hey i found it, the small in-town theatre on the green park, completely unused. i have a feeling i'll have it to myself most days. tomorrow i try the mill town cafe.

more tomorrow. oh and yes, my office is a former library/closet...gonna need a little fixin up help. thinking curtain rod and sheers, art on shelves, bright colors. major artery forming here as the ramp up to the bridge over the RR tracks runs between the two brick buildings

Fine dining, or at least interesting and local
dashed to Athens over the weekend to mow the grass and gather up stuff...now have plants and art on the way to the office library. lunch finds last week are: the salads and desserts are awesome at mill town cafe. great find. pizza at angelos, not so much, pizza at Slices, superb. back to angelo's for greek tho later this week. and of course coffee and masada bakery scones/muffins at safehouse anytime. how can i possibly complain when i now have 4 places to avoid the meat & three lunch option. and one day for dinner ill try 6th Street Pier and maybe even find a dinner option!

things are looking up in griffin and there is a cute bungalow just over from downtown with my name on it...if only i can talk them into a fenced option for CB.

week 2...

mobility manager for the 3 rivers regional commission

that's right, it has finally all come together. i'll be moving from athens very soon and relocating in griffin to help improve transit delivery to rural georgia. its a great pilot opportunity for the state and a chance to lead. this shouldnt surprise any of you who tolerate my many posts on transportation solutions here on facebook. for those who have hidden me, well, surprise!
charlie brown and i are searching for a cute little bungalow walking distance from downtown griffin. so if any of you have been waiting for just the right moment to rent your little spalding county getaway, here we are. meanwhile ours is for sale or rent here in athens and jeff has the yard looking extra spiffy. sure wish the cloner of houses would appear and just plop what i have down in g-town.
lately, we've been feeling like peachtree city might be the perfect lifestyle for us so we could end up there too.
so this all goes down april 1 and we've already found the local coffee shop, met the bike shop owners and biked around the hood. somehow i'm actually closer to where jeff lives, still in decatur for now, so that's nice. he'll work on getting his house ready for market and see if there are any interesting landscaping gigs down peachtree city way. if you know of any, holla.
so, that's my whirlwind news and its gonna be fun to jump into something new. for those of you who don't love and worship maps as i do, griffin is south of ATL on the I-75 corridor, not as far down as Macon though.
as usual, i'm wired so find me here, email, or text.
trace
'griffin, great and growing'
p.s. i just found a brochure on what my job is...http://www.unitedweride.gov/Mobility_Management_Brochure.pdf

a tale of two cities

valentines day is coming up and i wanna spend it with my sweetheart...which we can do the weekend prior or the weekend after sure...but not easily the day of. why? because we live in two different cities, about 60+ miles apart. now granted, the national average shows that the longest, and in my opinion ridiculous, commute is in the ATL at 66 miles daily, one way. wow.

now, while i would never arrange my life with such a daily commute to work in mind, and never have to date, i would absolutely support transportation solutions for folks who do have to travel that far for work. a commuter rail train from birmingham to atlanta to athens and on to augusta is one option, a high speed rail running between major cities like charlotte, chattanooga, atlanta, macon, savannah is another. right now the only thing i see leaving athens daily for atlanta is groome airport van shuttle and WINGS or whatever they call the small regional airflight vendor nowadays.
but alas, we don't have those commuter options and our state might not succeed in convincing voters to support a special transportation tax this summer as a first-step sort of manner to help get them. and the fed might slash any "non-asphalt creating" transportation funding across the nation unilaterally anyway. "if it aint a road, and preferably a wide one with lots of lanes and bridges, we dont want it and we aint gonna fund it b/c the nation don't need it."

well let me tell you something state/fed legislators, georgia has a wide road, with lots of lanes, 23 to be exact, and bridges, and it runs smack thru the heart of downtown ATL and is the most dreaded, congested, ugly piece of road money can buy. dressing it up with lexus lanes doesn't work, painting pretty bridges doesn't work, flanking it with entertaining billboards doesn't work, it stinks and it sucks the life out of commuters who have to get to work in ATL by car. nobody here likes it, in fact its god awful as southeners say.
so i don't reckon i'll spend my valentines day, commuting during rush hour, fighting that crowd to spend a lovely dinner with my wonderful partner. no we'll just chat on the phone and make plans for what city we can move to where infrastructure has kept up with population and the built environment supports a pleasant way of life, a lovely commute, and easy dinners out on a weeknight.

sorry sweetheart, that community is NOT Atlanta or towns adjacent to it.

love you, smooch!

flavors of me...all in one place

emailed a commenter on a story i read that i really liked and she wrote back with encouraging words...then i clicked her signature info and found this clever see it all in one click site that she was using to direct folks easily to her info. those of you who still arent over or are still fretting over the sharing of info freely, just stop reading here. so flavors.me turned out to be easy to use and set up and voila!
me:
http://flavors.me/themaplover

listening...and keepin up

holiday week arrives at work, campus is quiet and i'm bored...or so i think. then i remember i have a ton of blogs to read, advocacy to catch up on, NACTO design to study, solutions to suggest to the npos i support, and of course, always, travel to plan. whew, good thing i had that second cup of coffee.
so let's see the DC.streets.blog.org i read today reminds me that we can be really creative and innovative in solving transportation solutions. imagine me, looking for work in ATL in the throes of a transportation era and being innovative with the old boys. well, this is gonna be fun and i'm sure some witty blogging will come from it at the least.
if anyone is reading, i'm ready to get started. today i read how to run a transit tax campaign, how to listen to folks, and you all know i walk the talk (thank you for not hiding my feed yet).
so, in the words of my favorite halloween character to date, spit spot now, on ye go.
let's get rollin Atlanta!

hormonal imbalance, oh boy, here we go

Your profile vs. women your age

(based on over one million profiles to date)

Your health assessment

• Your symptoms rank in the moderate category, (altho i ranked all mild).
• The demands you place on your body are moderate.
• By comparison, the support that you give yourself is substantial (thank you).

What your assessment means

Moderate symptoms mean you are in the throes of hormonal imbalance. Hormonal imbalance can affect women of any age, although it is most common in women over 35 as they enter perimenopause or transition through menopause. Depending on the woman, this can mean months or several years of symptoms. Moderate symptoms in younger women are usually predictive of a more difficult perimenopause further down the road. It's important to listen to your body now and respond with the support it needs.

Women with moderate symptoms who do nothing to restore their hormonal balance usually progress to more frequent and severe symptoms. You can take back your health and restore your hormonal balance naturally and without drugs, alleviating your symptoms. (To learn how, see your personalized recommendations below).
Moderate demands mean that the burden on your body is about the same as what most women experience — more than it was designed to handle! In today's fast-paced world, women are mothers, caretakers, professionals, volunteers and more, at the same time our bodies are bombarded by chemicals, endocrine disruptors, and environmental toxins. Some of the demands you experience are not within your control, but it's important to minimize those that are. In the meantime, you need to give your body extra support to counter these demands. Minimizing demands and increasing support play a key role in achieving and maintaining hormonal balance.
Substantial support confirms that you are giving your body a lot of the support it needs to be balanced and healthy. Congratulations on the high level of support you are giving yourself! Unfortunately even women who try their hardest to make healthy choices can sometimes suffer from hormonal imbalance. If you're experiencing symptoms, you may need to take a closer look at the demands you are placing on your body. If you've done everything you can to reduce those demands, you may benefit from a consultation with one of our Nurse Educators to discuss further steps you can take to promote your hormonal health.

What you can do today

• Enjoy the benefits of the Personal Program, risk-free.
  Women with symptoms just like yours have found real relief and peace of mind from our Personal Program for Hormonal Imbalance. We offer targeted nutritional support that promotes hormonal balance, detailed lifestyle and diet guidance that fits you and the way you live, along with access to individualized support from our team of Wellness Coaches.
  
• Discover more about what causes your symptoms and find effective, natural solutions.
  Our website is a wealth of information collected over 25 years experiences at our clinic and our ongoing research. Explore our knowledge and uncover the underlying causes of your specific symptoms now.
  
• Talk with our advisors in Portland, Maine.
  Call us toll-free at 1-800-914-2049. Speak to a caring woman who understands your concerns about hormonal health, and who understands what you’re going through. We have answers to all the questions running through your mind and have helped thousands of women find relief. Our Advisors are available to listen and help — seven days a week, 8:30 am - 8:30 pm EST.
  

Our assessment of your profile

Most likely you've been feeling ''not yourself'' for awhile. The good news is you can turn it around, naturally and without drugs. We recommend you do a few simple things to balance your hormones and keep them in balance. To start, you should be taking a medical-grade multivitamin designed for women every day, as well as additional calcium/magnesium and essential fatty acid supplement. You may also benefit from phytotherapy, the therapeutic use of plants and herbs, to naturally coax your body into hormonal balance.

We also recommend some basic dietary changes such as minimizing simple carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods, and increasing your consumption of vegetables, fruit, and healthy sources of fats and protein. In addition, try to find an exercise program you enjoy and consider learning some basic stress reduction techniques. The women that we see in the clinic see steady improvements in the way that they feel when they follow these suggestions. These simple steps can make a world of difference in improving your physical and emotional well-being now - and keep you from having more serious problems in the future.

If these changes seem like a lot, remember that we're here to help! It's okay if you don't make every change at once. Try to focus on a few that seem most accessible to you, and as you start to feel a difference you will have the motivation to continue making improvements. We're confident that with a little guidance and determination you can feel better than you thought possible.

We're here for you.

Every woman is unique. That's why we help you personalize your Program to your needs. And every woman deserves answers that work for her. We are available by phone or e-mail whenever you have a question or problem. That's how we're changing women's health – one woman at a time.
Yours in health,

september comes along, and all is fine

seriously, it doesnt cool off in Georgia til late september. why do you think i waited so long to come out from day one? i've always hated the heat and no matter where i've lived or how much time i've 'acclimatized' here in Georgia...it doesnt stick. i still hate it. i'm talkin oppressed, lethargic, grumpy. ick. no use for it at all. i'll do anything to leave the state in july / august and find a way to every year.
but enough of all that, its october now and the outdoors is delicious. birthday week began with a shout out to buck and then consisted of a quick visit from dear friend Rena from DC/Philly, followed by spa day with mom and connie, dining out, and girly stuff. next a beer & film festival under the stars with 5 great ole friends, a gig at chateau elan, party on ponce and serenades by shawn mullins and the indigo girls. we continued with a drive to the mountains w/alex and charlie brown to cheer jeff on at a triathlon, pick up some apples, peach cider and cherry jam at a farm in ellijay. oh, and pumpkins too!
just like i planned it, ahhh, i love september. don't you?

maplover without a GPS

mozilla offers to map your life, well make that your online life in firefox...and i do spend a fair amount of time there so i went for it. take the survey. http://mzl.la/nYFbhc

growth

if you're paying attention, there is some little nugget of goodness in every day. sometimes the nugget is so surprising, when you first see it, you didnt know you needed it, you werent looking for it, you blink twice that you even thunk it...yet its there and it frees up a whole passel of stuff holding back other nuggets.
decoded? i think i dont need to hate my ex anymore. i'm good. i'm okay letting it all go, 17 years later. i can even let myself recall why i liked him. and THAT hasnt happened once, not for a second in all this time.
trigger? not sure except a donna the buffalo song brought it on. and now i recall his face or persona running through a recent dream or two. meaning? all good. my life is good, i'm deliriously happy with the man i deserve, career is changing for the good, and well i just dont have anything i need to hate on anymore. sure i'm in debt, and can't find the dream job, but that's all small stuff. and i just dont need to carry it around anymore.
i learned a lot, got tougher, found my inner b@!tch, coasted thru several great chapters of life, dodged a few, and now i have it all. so yes, i'm lettin all that wounded, shocked, disbelief go too. it happens and i wasnt the first or the last. but it wasnt my doin and i aint carrying it around no more. whew. finally. wonder if i should lift his burdens too?

happy trails on father's day

dad,
well i didnt get anything in the mail, as usual, but i did want to write this note and tell you happy father's day and how great it was to reconnect this past year in MD/DC and GA. DC was so fun because it was just us adults (well and charlie brown) which i enjoy quite a bit. i just dont really do the kids thing, never have, never probably will. i mean i think i'm a pretty good aunt an all, but thats plenty enough of a taste for me. i enjoy adults way more.
another reason graduation was such a great weekend for me, i was on cloud nine for quite a while afterwards. only the daunting job search can put a damper on it from time to time. but it was most fun because you were here and we just spent real time cooking, eating, and shopping. the things that folks probably do often with their parents if they live with them or in the same town as them. but not something we have ever gotten to do tremendous amounts of, so i value that highly. i even pointed out to chris in some of connie's photos, hey look, its you and your mom and dad in the same photo...got one of those? i think not. so how great is that that we do now. great i say.
and lastly, honestly i enjoyed that it was a day dedicated just to me, not anyone else's soap opera. just me. i dont feel like i ever demanded that before and yet i deserved it. so thanks for making me the focus.
i know this wasnt the only time we got to visit over the years, its just the most recent. i also recollect fondly some california days together where we just went to arts/wine festivals, grilled out, or biked around foster city. funny how the simple things in life really are the best moments. so i hope you have a simple, yet great, moment for father's day, devoted to just you, and know that i love you.
dearest,
little rosanna rosannadanna

don't push me, cuz i'm close to the edge...

well, not literally but spiritually and emotionally yes. in case you haven't heard i'm looking for a job. not just any job, i have one of those. i mean a great job! one that isn't a soul suck and that needs my passion and energy to make it happen. actually we all need this and i wish you all the courage to search for it. this will be my third career and since i'm a classic late bloomer, it will surprise none of you that it took me this long to get here. whatever! i'm here and i'm ready. they call it transportation demand management or more simply finding another way to get there. i want to work in the arena that encourages folks to get out of cars b/c there are healthier options, and ones that pollute less and dont create code orange smog alert days every day of our lives. to me those things look like: commuter trains from the suburbs, high-speed passenger rail in between major cities, street cars for quaint downtown business district or trolleys, bicycle paths and greenways, and yes hybrid cars for routes within your own hood (and beyond actually).
so i'm walking the talk, going to all the conferences and workshops and having coffee with anyone i can think of  who will hire me, connect me with someone, or just give some good advice because you can never have too much of that. so if we haven't talked lately, chime in. who do you know? i want to do this work in athens or decatur/atlanta because i feel i truly want to give back to my hometown and help it get to where many other great cities are in terms of resolving transportation gridlock and congestion nightmares. its doable and i vacation regularly in those places...when i get close to the edge and cant take it much more. so tahoe, here i come...atlanta better hope they dont hire me away out there.

let me be clear...i'm a commuter, by design

i'm a bike commuter type cyclist. i ride to work. i dont go fast, i dont wear lycra. i do wear a helmet these days, (thanks for the gentle reminder tony eubanks) but i dont race, i'm not a hammerhead, in fact i'm the slowest rider out there. in fact i should print a shirt that says caboose.
so i just wanna make it clear, all the cycling babble that i post relentlessly on facebook and my blog, is about a lifestyle choice for health, clean energy, saving $$, and hating to drive. now i dont mind a good road trip once in a while, but that's a different story and not one i'll be doing in the middle of gas wars.
so back to cycling, yes, i am all things bike b/c i love the peace, beauty, and health it affords me every single day i do it. i even had an epiphany in graduate school, (which they let me into because i said i wanted to be a great public servant) but in what area i did not know at the time. not consciously anyway. those who know me will say, girl, you sold your car back in 1986 and have been on a bike ever since, how could you not know you would serve the cycling world one day? well i just didnt.
i simply rode for me. see cycling has always been an independent thing, just you and your bike, that's all you need. and as for jobs in the early years, i was caught up in my late 20's and floundering 30's with private sector pursuits. and oddly enough, that stint in corporate america has not only gotten me two great jobs since then, and into a #4 ranked graduate program, but it may very well provide the balance in the public sector work that nonprofits need and that i'm poised to do. we've all heard it said, government or nonprofits ought to work more like the markets or private sector. well i have one foot in each or rather i have amassed a skill set from each and maybe, just maybe, that positions me well to go lead a bicycle commuting advocacy organization. we'll see.
in the meantime, yes i'm looking for a job, a great job that aligns with my passions, and during the search you can find me commuting to work daily by bike (in regular clothes), taking a bike with me on vacation, riding in the country on the weekends with folks who go a little bit faster, and trying out every bikeshare fleet i come across in cities across America and in vacation destinations. after all, my motto is: have passport will travel (by bike). yea, i added that last part recently.
you will also hear from time to time about other modes of travel that i also love, like train journeys, with sleeper cars and showerettes, or subway, light rails, street cars. i really will do most anything to use public transit and enjoy the ride before i will jump in a car. yes, i do own one now. its a 10-year old subaru that i bought out west when i lived in snow country out of necessity. dad checked it out last weekend and said its running just fine and will for another 10 years or so. with this mentality or approach to commuting, i have managed to never have a daily drive to work, ever in my life and i have been employed since i was 18...so let's just say 3 decades or so. here's how...
GA (commute 1)
in college, i sold the aforementioned car, a v-8 ford mustang that all the men in my family took me to pick out when i graduated high school. vroom! college campuses are contained, even ones in agricultural states, and i lived nearby so i just biked to work.
DC (commute 2)
i rented from my aunt in virginia when i first got there and i worked on capitol hill, so i learned a good chunk of the metro really well. i targeted a neighborhood less than 2 miles from work (once i left the hill and went to work for mckinsey) and looked for a rental. john & lucinda offered an english basement in cleveland park (where i still visit them today) and i could bike, metro (subway or bus), and on really bad days cab it to work. mckinsey paid me to do it (commuter subsidy of metro cards) my friends remember those b/c i always had a surplus from biking. oh, and mckinsey put in 3 showers for the office. note this was back in 1989! i never owned a car, bought gas, paid parking tickets, insurance, fines, got towed, had fender benders, or had road rage. instead i read the paper, worked the puzzle, got some exercise, got super fit, saved money, and threw away the gym membership. who am i kidding, i never paid for the gym.
CA (commute 3)
in cali, i couch surfed on the peninsula at first and took the cal train, a double decker, from san carlos into SF every day for work. once the couch was claimed by new babies, i rented over in the oakland hills with friends from DC who had proceeded me and scouted the scene. i biked down the hills every day to the bart station, jumped on and rode it under the bay from berkeley to san francisco and read the paper, skipped by the latte shop on the way in and tried not to look straight up like every other newbie in town as i walked 3-4 blocks to work in the bank of america building (no not the pointy one, thats the nearby transamerica building and equally as tall, 52 floors) all this joy, while millions above me drove across the bay bridge at $4 a pop each way and that only occurred after you waited in the slug line and picked up 2+ riders so you could even be allowed to drive across the bridge in rush hour once your lane got the green light, to later arrive at a parking deck in SF where the going daily rate was $25.00 per car per day.
CA (commute 4)
after 1 short year in the bay area, i ditched it all. turns out when i moved from DC to CA, i not only needed a change of scenery and CLIMATE, i needed a break too. so i ducked out to europe for a year. confession, i had leased a car that year, (to prepare for moving to tahoe, which i did later) so i put all my stuff in one of those storage PODS and they came to get it. i left some $$ in the bank and put the credit card on auto pay, (my only obligation), turned in my cell phone (that's what you did back then) and sub-leased my car to a SF coworker who wanted to explore car ownership. and left. i bought a eurail pass and trained everywhere for a year, the pass included subways, busses, funiculars, and ferries. once or twice i ended up in a vehicle when the owner of the guest house where i worked for room/board took us into town to food shop.
GA (commute 5)
then i came back...or ran out of $$. i couch surfed in GA at kim and laura's houses, both of which were near marta stations and i commuted to work in the ATL office of mckinsey for a stint. just like i had done in DC and CA, all 3 of which had a slick dress code in a high profile corporate setting. summer came and i remembered why i had left GA so i returned to CA to get my stuff.
CA (commute 6)
looked for work, squatted in dad's empty apartment left open by early upgrade. biked around foster city by the bay. figured out how to talk mckinsey into outsourcing me and moved to tahoe pronto. took the car with me and walked, biked, or skied, or hitched to work. later when i got the job working for the chamber of commerce on the 'other' side of the lake, (nevada) i drove. so yes, i did commute to work by car, in lake tahoe, wearing shorts, to work by the lake and tell folks where to have fun. i took one for the team there for sure. eventually we all worked on a ski mountain and carpooled or once i even lived at the base of the mountain and hitched rides up to the gate every morning. one road in, one road out.
GA (commute 7)
7 years ago, crap almost 8, i moved back. i scouted athens immediately to see how bike-able it still was from my college days and after house-sitting for a bit, (aint that always the way?) i bought a home within a 2-mile radius of downtown and UGA knowing i would work somewhere in that mix and bike in. i do. its intentional, its been great fun, and its totally doable. now get out there and make some choices people, ones that work for you regardless of what they look like to the rest of society. oh, and enjoy it. i know you will. in fact, holler once you're there.

double dawg

GRADUATION BRUNCH
yep, i legitimately walked through the Arch at the university of georgia a second time. in early april i took comps for a master of public admnistration degree. later in may, i put on the cap and gown and walked into the coliseum from the tunnels just like a gladiator and was celebrated on stage with my name announced, my family watching, and fun new shoes just for the occasion. the day was a blast and we followed up the ceremony with brunch al fresco in my pecan orchard back yard eating ham/cheese biscuits from harry's pig shop, red mule yellow grit cakes w/roasted red pepper sauce grilled by dad, fresh fruit w/yogurt drizzle, mimosas, nancy's savory mini quiches, home-made strawberry swirl pound cake, right off the cover of southern living and prepared by mom, along with some cute little mortar board capcakes.
COMPS
an even better part leading up to graduation day was passing my comps with distinction. 60 or so of us took comps from an entry class of about 150 that joined up two years ago. only 6 of us were awarded the pass with distinction award and later shown the remarks by the scorers indicating just such scoring. i mean i knew i was learning plenty in my program, and i knew i was passionate and focused about alternate transportation policy, and i knew with the exception of micro-economics (tedious little stuff) that i was making great grades which i knew i had solidly earned. and even the comps case study, which at first i was faintly intrigued by, turned out to be a social service technique that i could learn a lot about and echoed tales of a public servant i had studied  :about in a leadership course (which by the way was deemed by my advisor to be a wasted class that i hadnt needed to take) dr. rainey, you and i know differently :). the leader i had studied was later thought of by us in the biz as an unsung hero and a giant in public service circles. and i came up with a solution to the case study presented at comps and 2 weeks later went onsite to write about that unsung hero modeling my solution of a champion for the cause, a toolkit, and solid policy after that legendary man.
EXAM DAY
we were assigned exam rooms in candler hall, a swanky, pottery barn decor filled hall. a few of us relocated from the crowded room filled with nervous nellies to a smaller quieter room down the hall b/c it was determined that morning that some front row seats had no power supply and thus laptops could not be used. i was thankful for the quiet room. i went in, sat down with my blank copy of the kennedy school of government case study on wraparound services in milwaukee for behaviorally challenged youth. at the bell, i scribbled out the mnemonic i had created to remember my five main points, textbooks to cite, quotes to use, and began to construct the 1500 word answer i had had 2 weeks to prepare and try to memorize. and lastly, i put it all together, all that i had learned...and the best part was...i loved it! i had such a great experience and i knew i rocked the exam and that i had never enjoyed a test so much in my life. and then, two agonizing weeks later...i got the email.
VALIDATION
tsanchez, you have passed comps. okay. in a few minutes 6 of you will receive another email indicating you have not only passed, but you have been assigned a rare "pass with distinction" by both scorers. i was headed out to a meeting in hartwell where i had to pick up the UGA rental vehicle, load up the students and boogie down the road to their in-person, final client presentation. i stared at the computer screen hitting refresh on my inbox...tick tock, tick tock...tsanchez, you have passed with distinction. eeeek! i let out a yelp and put both hands over my mouth. i squeaked again and regina, my only co-worker to notice (or care) stepped into my office and said what is it?  I PASSED MY COMPS...WITH DISTINCTION...AND ONLY 5 OTHERS DID SO. yay me. indeed, yay me.
like i said earlier, i knew all that stuff was working out, and the progress was evident, but let me tell you something, validation is a cool thing. no matter what. no matter how many times my boyfriend called me smart girl, and no matter how many times my co-workers who wrote letters of reference for grad school (because i only had a GRE of 1050 and under 1000 they dont even let you in), and no matter how many times they said they were happy to because i was very bright, i still did not know that. i honestly did not know i could do it. and that is what is fabulous, now i know. and now i am a double dawg, i walked under the arch in 1988 as an undergrad and in 2011 as a masters graduate. sweet.

westside ladies who bike...in skirts if they wanna

i'm startin a social: westside ladies who bike...in skirts if they wanna.

and to encourage and educate i put up some pix on facebook of how i dress when i bike about town daily.

p.s. the real cycle chic can be found here:  
http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

here's a sample route, 6-miler around town...

westside ladies who ride

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Reroute the gambler to help raise awareness of the Firefly Rail Trail

It's the same general area and the pitstops are way cooler, they would be in old railroad depots! Anybody game? If so, help me reach Gene Dixon and the Twilight crew ASAP. Let's make it happen in 2011.
Coming to you April 29-30...see ya here.

View New twilight gambler route in a larger map

escape to DC

georgia had a white xmas and after we took it in with all the family, we hit the road headed north. we did wait out the storm a day just to avoid all the nutters and rookies on the road. then we hit the mountain route north which was scenic and snow covered. pitstops at VaTech, Skyline Drive made for nice diversions en route. fancy gap isnt all that fancy but they do have some serious fog. i'd consider a rename myself. the metro wasnt crowded, the museums are still all free, and annapolis still has the best crabcakes on the planet. all told it was a fine week of monument seeking, museum strolling, dog walking, picture taking fun. a few moments like attack of the stink bugs and an emergency root canal weren't planned, but we dealt with them and were back on track lickety split. all told, it was a fun, cheap, refreshing, week in DC.

• avis rental car $325.00
• 5 tanks of gas $200.00
• lodging 0.00 (thanks con & howdy)
• meals 0.00 (thanks dad)
• groceries $35.00
• root canal $2000.00 ouch!
• almost made it into the priceless category.
• GT $560.00 for 2 peeps, 1 dog, 1 SUV, 1 holiday week in DC