Sherri

That was one of my thoughts, too, Arch. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with being soft, pretty, delicate, and all that, if that's your thing. But it's not everyone's ideal and it's not every woman's inherent identity. Femme, butch, jock, lipstick, tomboy, whatever...it's all good, long as you're being real. And willing to accept that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. It bothered me to see them attempt to quash that little girl's potential. But, as has been pointed out, she'll probably come out on top.

Young and impressionable, perhaps, but not stoned. The thing that interested me most about their unintentional coinage of this term was the way they were using it inferred that muscularity is a masculine trait which is inappropriate for a woman to exhibit. I highly doubt their classmate was ripped, so I can't help but wonder what it was about a girl having an athletic appearance that incited them to badmouth her efforts to take care of herself. She didn't fit into the mold of what a "girl" was supposed to look like? Personally, I hope that strong girl keeps working hard, and when she's out doing triathalons and sports events long after those other girls can climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, I hope she runs into them signing up for some fluff fitness class at the gym and laughs at what their arms look like now.

Nice work. I like it. And I agree.

Get out your pencils and dictionaries, folks. We've got a new word. I overheard it in the locker room at the gym, when a gaggle of girly tweens were gossipping about a classmate who apparently works out a lot. They said she had "really mascular arms." Judging by their tone, it was not a compliment. Should have seen the embarrassed silence that came over them when I walked around the corner. OMG, do I have mascular arms???

A girl can hope.

"You look hot in that shirt. You should take it off." (I fell for this one. )

I agree. It's a classic.

"If I told you you had a nice rack, would you hold it against me?" Ooops, wrong thread.

Do they stock the eye candy in-store, or do you have to order that online, as well?

Drink more water.

If you're going to Point Defiance, be sure to drop in at the Antique Sandwich Company in Ruston on the way(it'll be on your left. 5102 N. Pearl St., 253-752-4069.) Way cool hippie vibe, and great healthy food. They hold a great open mic at 7pm(?) Tuesday nights that is worth getting there early for in order to get a seat. It's a fun and cheap night on the town.

...but now that you've noticed me noticing you, hope you don't mind if I but help myself...

I love a good chase.

Uh-oh. Sounds like somebuddy's in trwouble.

I like bad girls. Glad your heart is happy! :moondance:

Quit showin' off.

Boots? There's no need for boots. A buddy of mine only used to wear boots because his boss made him. He wore cloths hiking, but I once went to ski down from Muir with him and he gained about 1000' in bare feet in the snow before he broke down and put his boots on. Ok so I'm willing to rule out the loincloth, but ya gotta have the spear to get a decent dinner. But without the loincloth, your spear will hang out.

I'm gonna try harder tomorrow, I promise. I think it would help if I cut up the twinkies into bite size pieces and took a baggie full of them to work. It'll make it easier to resist the pull of those beautiful apples and yummy bananas that seem to be everywhere. Aarrgh!

That's a great idea! I could really use the support in order to break out of this stupid healthy rut. You guys are the best.

This contest sounded so easy, but this morning I was unable to stop myself from doing a trail run then going to the gym. To make matters worse, I ate a perfectly healthy breakfast afterward. I suck at this contest. I'm moving back over to the other thread.

Try doing a google search for "biceps trigger points." Spasms caused by weightlifting, pullups, climbing, etc can often be easily self-treated by finding the trigger points and deactivating them. Attempting to stretch a spasmed muscle is probably going to be counterproductive, as this can aggravate the trigger points rather than release them. If you dig around the insertion points of your muscles with your thumbs, you can often find the trigger points intuitively(you will tend to go right to where the pain becomes exquisite--which is the trigger point). Press firmly on this spot for several seconds. Repeat several times throughout the day if needed, and be sure to look around the shoulder and lat area(especially under the scapula) for other correlating points that may be holding the one in your bicep in spasm. Often there's a network of them. Good luck!

Were you wearing a wig?

True, Ken, the pavement is the biker's nemesis. I've tassled with it a time or two(and lost) especially when I first started riding clipless. When I read this study, I was thinking of the possibility of accidents resulting from cars passing me too closely on a narrow shoulder, forcing me either off the shoulder's edge or into the gravel and road glitter. A wider berth by vehicles gives me more room to maneuver safely. However, living in a retirement destination here(ie- elderly drivers), bike-vs.-vehicle accidents are frequent occurences. If the driver can't see you, even the wig is moot. Ride safe, all!

Ditch the helmet, wear a wig. It's better protection than the foam. "New research shows: Wear a helmet, get hit by a car By Fritz Traffic psychologist Dr. Ian Walker used a bicycle fitted with an ultrasonic distance sensor to record data from more than 2,500 overtaking motorists while riding the bike between Salisbury and Bristol. He found drivers were as much as twice as likely to get particularly close to the bicycle when he was wearing the helmet. Across the board, drivers passed an average of 8.5cm (three-and-a-third inches) closer with the helmet than without. A few women have suggested to me that I dress like a woman for increased passing distance. Dr. Walker tested this idea in his study by donning a wig while cycling. He found that wearing the wig resulted in an average of 14 centimetres (5.5 inches) more space when passing. Dr. Walker's study has been accepted for publication in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention." Full article/links here.

I ran into Peter Croft climbing at the Smoke Bluffs this weekend. Wish I had brought my camera for pics--he was amazing to watch on the rock. And he had that wild, old-school look: crazy hair sticking out in all directions, rose-colored aviator sunglass, shredded upper body(he was shirtless), and wore pajama pants(?). Definite prototype for future dirtbags to emulate. Some people make better humans than others. The rest of us just turn into climbers.