Dear internets…

I am off to Sweden, Denmark and Iceland for a few weeks to attend a family wedding. I plan on checking in to the internet every once and a while, but I will not be on here with the same frequency I am currently due to the abundance of good design, culture and attractive people I will be immersing myself in.

Sorry for any inconvenience. See you later. -jenn

it's always sunny in philadelphia

For some odd reason I found myself thinking of Philadelphia a lot the other day. Not just "Philadelphia" itself.... but Philadelphia, in the spring time with cherry blossom trees, art museum steps and warm afternoons spent by the Schuylkill river. I realized it was because my body and my mind were taking me back to my college days rowing for SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). Every year come early May, we would make the pilgrimage from Savannah Georgia all the way up to Philadelphia to compete in the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest collegiate regatta in the US (with over 100 schools competing). This was always the highlight of every spring racing season. Not only did we get a chance to compete against big Division I colleges from all across the nation, but it was a big four day trip from school, PAID for by the school actually. You got a flight, a nice hotel room downtown, food money, etc... all covered. You also had plenty of downtime and not only did you get to go to the big art museum there and run up and down the rocky steps... you got chances to explore a city all on your own.

During my four years at SCAD, I went to Philly four times. Each time I went I explored a new part of the city on my time off. After awhile I got a pretty good baring for being a once a year visitor. In fact, from working at Camp Tapawingo during my collegiate summers, I knew a fair amount of people in Philly. As a result, it wasn't too unlikely to be walking around Rittenhouse Square or somewhere else and run into one of my campers (it was probably weirder for them than it was for me).

Every trip had monumental stories attached to it. Like, my freshman year I got food poisoning at the airport (the night before was Cinco De Mayo = bad Mexican food at Juarez) and I threw up the whole way to Philly. By the time I had to race the following morning, I hadn't been able to keep any food down for 24 hours and a host of team moms force fed me pedialyte to hydrate me. That year we also Ghost Ran the Philly "Race for the Cure" which was a lot of fun and completely random. Another year, I ran into an acquaintance from high school in the elevator of our hotel. We had been in HI-Y club at different schools and knew each other from conferences and committee's we were both on. Turns out that now she lived in St. Louis and was a coxswain for her college. Over the years, I had a lot of good races, ate at a lot of cool places and had a lot of good times with my friends; however, my favorite year was probably my senior year 2002, when my parents finally made it out from Ohio to see my last college row. Not only was I excited to have my parents there... but I was excited that they got to see one of the best races of my career.

Basically, all year we had been winning and then losing to Georgia Tech's women's lightweight four. And this... would be the last time we'd face them for the year... we wanted to win. Maybe Georgia Tech never knew they were our big rivals, but we hated them (hate in a competitive way, that is). We hated them in the same way that when you're a small little NCAA Div III athletics program (at an art school) that never gets any press... any recognition... you hate the bigger state schools. You hate the Georgia Techs, you hate University of Georgia, you hate Emory, you hate Georgia Southern, as a matter of fact... you hate University of Tennessee, Alabama, pretty much any school from Florida, and defiantly any school from South Carolina. That's just the way it is. Maybe for those schools, we were just a little fly on the wall, a bleep on the radar... but when you'd race them, and you won... you did something that no other team at your school could really say they had done, beat a big DI school. Sure, the baseball or volleyball team could say they beat Eastern North Carolina Baptist College, but who in the hell is Eastern North Carolina Baptist College? exactly! Who in the hell is the University of Georgia though, well... they're the fucking Bulldogs, that's who they are. And when they and Georgia Tech lose to wee little SCAD, you feel a little like David clocking Goliath in the noggin. People know those names, people take notice.

By this point, roughly ten years since that race... I can't tell you all the small details. I can't tell you how the water sounded against the boat, what lane we were in or what our stroke rate was off the start. However, I can tell you that we didn't win that race. I can tell you that we didn't even advance to the next round. In fact... we got third place in that heat. But you know what? Georgia Tech got fourth place. We beat them out in the last 500 meter finish sprint and it was great. Us and them... mano y mano... for all the marbles. We lost the race, but we won our little small school war. And that, was the only thing that mattered.

Looking back on the Dad Vails, I found out that it happened just this past weekend. And well, while thousands of college students were lining the banks of Schuylkill river in the sun, clothed in spandex, waiting for their turn to race... I sat by the banked slopes of a velodrome, in the sun, clothed in spandex, and waiting for my turn to race. Its funny how the more things change, the more some things stay the same.

Shake the Dust...

Last week I had the great pleasure of wondering over to the new Albina Press on Hawthorne Street to see a good old friend of mine from college, Anis Mojgani, preform some of poems of his with other several writers. Anis never fails to make me smile. Even from when he used to be the coxswain for our rowing team at SCAD, he would command and steer our boats with the upmost precision; yet... he never barked out orders. Anis respected us, he saw that we were not a pack of wild dogs who needed discipline and would bark or bite back. No, he spoke to us in the same way he recites his poetry, calm and collected, but so full of energy and life.

Anis has a way of capturing and speaking the english language that at one point, is so clear and simple yet at the same time, it conveys so much profound emotion... it just hits you square in the chest and takes your breath away. Listening to him is almost as if a veil is being lifted off your brain and in that process, all the colors in the room become brighter and more clear and all the dreams you had as a child, sitting under the big oak tree in your neighbors yard, comes flooding back. And you smile...

Thanks Anis once again... you never fail to amaze.

to do list: experience

On Saturday I went out and competed in the Eric Kautzky Memorial Track Race out at the Alpenrose Velodrome. I was looking forward to this event because while I had only just started racing at the track late last summer, I had only raced against one or two other riders at a time in Match Sprints and felt a little insufficient when it came to proper competition and race experience. Here though, at an early season track event I could race against a few more people and also learn and try my hand at some of the other “types” of races that riders will do in an omnium. We as CAT4 women, were slated to do an 8 lap scratch race, a 15 lap points race, and the Alpenrose mile (6 laps). Due to the low numbers of junior women and masters racers... they also combined them into our Cat 4 race, adding to the number of people we were racing against but scored separately from.

For me, I hadn’t been on the track or on my track bike since last July and August when I raced in several of the Fast Twitch Fridays and won them for the month. In fact, the track bike that I bought was one of the former GT rentals from the velodrome. After I purchased it, it was disassembled and has been resting in the corner of my room all winter in eager anticipation for it’s big paint job. I finally took the bike to get painted last month and sadly, did not get the bike back till Friday morning... the day before the race. With a tight building/racing deadline on the forefront, I went to Cyclepath, and pleaded for them to get the bike built up for me in two hours, to which (a case of beer later) they happily obliged. Long story short.... a bit of time and a fair amount of cash later, I finally had my track bike back. It was powder coated all bright and shiny orange, with a custom decal in periwinkle blue and then a coat of clear gloss over top. Accented with some bright blue bar tape and it’s one lean, mean, BTV racing machine. I just hoped I was ready to race too.

pretty...

I always get a little nervous before I race, but before this race I was so nervous I couldn’t even eat my pre-race bagel. More than anything else, I think I was scared of the unknown. I hadn’t done an all-day track omnium before. I’ve never raced a points race, an unknown distance race, a win and out race, a point a lap race, or any of the other crazy types of races that go on out at the velodrome. As well, even though it seems a little silly saying this as an adult... but I didn’t have a posse and I felt a little lost at times. It was just me... out there sitting on my little carpet square in the sun for the majority of the afternoon alone. While I don’t mind doing things by myself, there is some type of security in knowing that other people are going through the same things for the first time as well. I never was a new kid in school, but I imagine it must feel a lot like that. You kinda know the routine, you know what you need to do, but all the while you’re getting your bearings, trying not to do the wrong thing and the only way you’re ever going to figure those things is just to go out and do it. So, this race was kinda my sacrificial lamb. I was hoping to do well, to be competitive but most of all... rip that band-aid off and learn from my mistakes.

One thing that I was not really prepared for in regards to the race was sitting around all afternoon. I guess it really isn’t that much different than being at track races in jr. high or crew regattas in college.... I just hadn’t really experienced that type of racing scenario in a while. All of the races I’ve done recently you go out for 25 minutes or 2 hours and then boom, you’re done for the day. Here, it was race for five minutes... sit for an hour or so, race for five minutes.... sit for an hour or so, etc. And basically, it’s hard to keep the momentum going with so much downtime.

So, needless to say, my first race which was an 8 lap scratch race, was probably my best of the day. I had amped up for that race and felt good to go at the start. Legs fresh and ready to roll. I did well, placing first in the CAT4’s and gaining some points. I was pleased with the finish, but I was out in front for most of the race which isn't really the best idea. It’s not that I wanted to be there... but no one was willing to come up and pull the group so I just stayed there, setting the pace. Granted, the front is nice because there is no one to box you in, but in track racing a quick attack from the back or the side can pretty much make or break your race and one thing that is going against you in the front... is the element of surprise. By the time someone sprints past you, it’s gonna take a really quick response to answer back and chase them down and more often than not, you’re not going to have enough room. So, I think in racing, my socialist desires to “help the group” and “do my share” need to take a back seat. I should be more of a capitalist; sit in, let someone else do the work and then blow past them in return for their kind efforts. But once again.. these are the things you learn the more you race, and this is why I was out there. To learn and slap my head saying “doh” when I find myself pulling in the front again.

(photo by the amazing Eryn Barker, to which i have to thank her and her family for cheering oh so loudly. thanks!)

The second race was a 15 lap points race. Meaning, every five laps there was another sprint for points. I really had no plan or strategy going into it. The earlier sprints were worth more than the later sprints and if I could win a few sprints, I’d be that much closer to securing my lead. However, having not done a 15 lap race at the velodrome yet... I didn’t know how much gas I had in my tank and how hard I could push myself for those early sprints. I didn’t want to go out hard and then die at the finish... but then again... what if I waited and reserved and missed an opportunity? So... I didn’t push as hard as I could have early on and going into the end of the race... I didn’t have enough room to get past the girl who had passed me with a lap to go (we’re talking a wheel of difference at the line). While I gained some points coming in 2nd or 3rd in the sprints and then 3rd in the final sprint, my lack of points in the sprints gave the other girls a chance to gain some points on me. Bleh.

By now it was about 2pm in the afternoon and at this point (being out there since 9am) I was getting a little tired of waiting. This once again goes back to my earlier comment about having a posse out there, I think that would have helped me not get so mentally drained. I mean, for a little while at the start some friendly faces showed up and I chatted with them - but the majority of the time it was me, trying to stay out of the sun and trying to stay hydrated. Not that I’m blaming lack of a posse on not being able to pull it together, it just helps to stay mentally focused when you can take your mind off of things. Anyways, by now my water was warm and kinda nasty. I had tried to eat a clif bar, but just like that bagel in the early morning... I couldn’t really eat it. So, I was pretty much malnourished for the day. It’s funny because my mom is a nutritionist and I have always been quite the avid reader of sports nutrition and even served as an nutritional advisor to my rowing team ... so I know what I need to eat and to do... but sometimes knowing and doing are two completely different things. But like I said, I was out here on a sacrificial exploratory learning mission... and learning I was. (Oh and ps dear readers, pretty much by this point I’m giving you excuses).

Well, the third race of the day was the Alpenrose mile, which is six laps around the track (basically three minutes of racing). Trying to learn from prior, I didn’t want to be out in front but I found my self there but with another rider on the side. Ok, that’s not bad... I thought, I know I have one rider behind me and one to the side and one behind her. Just keep tabs on everyone, I kept reminding myself. And it pretty much lasted this way for the whole race... but then going into that last lap and a half we took off in a sprint and a chase... and shit, I thought... I just don’t have it right now. I gave a good fight at the end, but the other girls out sprinted me and I came in third again. By this point, my third place overall in the Omnium was pretty much cemented.

Oh well, it could have been worse I guess? At least I gave it a try and I’ll have some knowledge of what an all day track race is like so that I know how to prepare myself mentally and physically for the next one. Which, even though I beat myself up about it, I need to remind myself that this is what this this race was for. And, the more I go out there the more I learn and the more experienced I’ll be. And that... when the race comes down to milliseconds between wheels crossing over the line, is what matters the most. Regardless, till I get some of that experience, I’ll still throw in a few more leg squats at the gym.... just to keep it on the safe side.

cupcake cannon...

I just have to share this because I think it's one of the most amazing things ever...

please enjoy:

summer concert survival prepping primer

Sasquatch Music Festival, George, WA

Well, we’ve entered into May which means that the summer musical festival season is upon us! Woooo!!!! (enter rock-out hand symbol here) Here in the Pacific Northwest our lineup usually begins Memorial Day weekend at the Gorge, with the Sasquatch music festival and ends Labor Day weekend in Seattle at Bumbershoot. In between, there’s always No Depression, Lilith Fair, Pickathon and a whole slew of other festivals for you to get your music on. While some music festivals are just a big one day affair that calls for throwing some extra sunscreen or batteries in your bag, some music festivals like Sasquatch, require an arsenal of camping gear and survival tactics to make it thorough the days with money in your pocket and stories of the awesome bands you saw for the way home. For those weekend long music festivals, it takes a pretty hard core concert goer to leave your tent at 11am, with a fully stocked day pack on the back and not return till the last band puts away their guitars. These folks need to be hearty, they need to be able to withstanding hail, rain, flesh searing sun, lack of water, lack of cheap booze, and lack of cheap food. In order to make it, there is proper prepping that needs to occur. Let this, my friends... be your concert survival prepping primer so that you’re ready to rock out.

A plan:

Before you ever get to the site, talk with your buddies and discuss what bands or shows people want to see. Get a schedule and plan out your days. Pick a few “must sees”, “i’d like to see”, and “that band name is too ridiculous to be a real band name, name - let’s go see them” sets. It’s best to have a basic plan laid out, but don’t schedule yourself for so many things that you miss the “best band you never heard of” and wouldn’t have heard of until you decided it just wasn’t worth running across green to catch the last five minutes of the Cold War Kids.

Get there early:
If it’s a festival where you’re going to be camping, the earliest you get there and get your tent and site set up, not only are you going to have first pick of the good places, but you’re also going to be closer to the gates and get to see the first bands on. While you may not think that getting to see the first bands sound very appealing, I almost missed seeing one of my favorite performers, the Fleet Foxes, the other year since they were the first on and it took longer than we expected to walk to the music site.

Bearings:

When you do get your site set up, make sure you do things like look for “landmarks” or rows or fences that you can use to guide yourself back to your tent when it’s midnight, you’re drunk, and the amount of “campers” (who are all walking back to their site at the same time as you) has multiplied by 10,000.

Earplugs:
Chances are you are going to have neighbors at your camp site who want to party a lot later than you do. Invest in being a heavy sleeper or plugging your ears up. Most likely you’d rather use your energy to stay standing in the crowd waiting for your favorite band than listen to drunk people talk about putting explosives in the pot-a-pot (though that can be rather amusing.)

Sturdy medium sized backpack:
While reusable grocery bags are handy, you’re gonna get tired of lugging that thing around by 3pm. As well, it’s not going to fare too well if it gets stepped on while rocking out to the Black Eyed Peas. On the same note, while trendy shoulder bags are cute, this is about survival. Find a good canvas pack that could take a kicking and a rain storm with durable straps and some pockets (you’re gonna want to hide some stuff there).

Reusable water bottle:
Staying hydrated is very important at these things as it’s gonna be the one thing that helps you get through the day to see your favorite band headline. Use a reusable bottle to top off at the bathrooms or water fountains. Not only is BYOB it more environmentally friendly, but it beats paying $2 for bottled water. And... security will check these at the gate so make sure they are empty.

pack chair:

Most of the time actual lawn or camping chairs are not allowed at music venues... so, pretend like you’re at summer camp again and dig out your situpon. I’ve always been a fan of the easily packable crazy creeks.

(worst case scenario, use a boot. No Depression Festival, Seattle, WA)

durable blanket:
Similar to these, you’re gonna want a nice durable blanket for the lawn. They’re good for sitting on and claiming and reserving your proper space amongst the people, but... just don’t grab your mom’s heirloom quilt her great great grandmother made, she’s not going to be happy when you explain why it smells like beer and mustard.

tampons:

Don’t laugh, I’ve found that whatever you’re trying to sneak into a music venue that isn’t allowed (your flask, your camera) you’re going to fare better in the bag search if you bury that item under tampons. Everyone tries to conceal stuff in a spare coat, which security will easily shake and feel out; however, all but the most anal guards will see the tampons and most likely not dig any further. As well, if you happen to be verging on that time of the month, you’ll be happy to have a stash at the ready. If not, you might make a new friend in need.

some extra toliet paper or napkins:

You don’t want to left empty handed in the port-a-pot

flask (liquor):

Good drinks are expensive at venues. Bring your own favorite and hide it in the bottom of your pack under some tampons or a secret stash pocket. Once inside the venue, mix it in with some soda or drink straight up. Cheaper than buying your booze there. Remember to hydrate though and drink some water for every alcoholic drink.

pita bread & peanut butter & ziploc bags:

The pita is good for making sandwiches and won’t crush like a loaf of bread and the peanut butter is nutritious and delicious. I recommend doing something simple like this for your lunches since not only do you not want to spend an arm and a leg on greasy and expensive concert food, but this means that you also don’t have to schedule “waiting in line for food” into your day. Make them before you need them so you can just reach into your pack and eat. As well, while you’re watching the Yeah Yeah Yeahs do their thing, you’re not going to be tempted to run to the pretzel stand and lose your place. Also... its a good idea to stick with food you and your belly are comfortable with, which is another reason to avoid greasy vendor food. A port-a-pot on a hot sunny warm day is no place that you want to have an unhappy stomach. Hide food under your tampons.

snack bars: lara, luna, naked (fruit bars)
While bringing in outside food is a no-no, usually if you tell them you’re a diabetic they won’t press the issue. Just in case though, hide them under the tampons.

leatherman:

tent repairs, sandwhich making

garbage bag or poncho:

For covering your pack when it’s a downpour on the lawn.

camera:

Make sure you bring w/ extra memory cards and batteries. Most venues are cool with cameras as long as they don’t have detachable lenses (SLR). So, unless you have a press pass... leave that SLR at home and work it with a point and shoot.

(try finding your friends in the middle of this. Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA)

fully charged cell phone:

For a one day concert where you are meeting friends and going to different shows... this is a must. For several day long ventures, I’d recommend bringing your phone but leaving it off unless you’re planning on meeting and communicating with people or have a way to charge it from your car at the end of the day.

a stash of cash:

Even though you’ve probably shelled out more than enough already for your ticket in the first place, keep an extra bit of cash tucked away in a safe place in a pocket on your pants in case your wallet gets stolen.

sunglasses / hat:

It’s hard enough to see Prince as it is, looking into the sun shouldn’t make it more difficult.

SPF:

Bring extra and slather often. Remind your friends too.

Hand sanitizer / wet wipes:

Do you know how many hands have touched that port-a-pot handle? Ugh, gross.

How to Dress:

Layer people!!! At most festivals it can easily be 100 degrees in the day and then near freezing at night with the chance of thunderstorms in between. Basically, I’m always a fan of using a tank top as a base and then adding a fleece or sweater and packing a raincoat or windbreaker in the pack as well.

Decent sandals:

No one wants to get their toes crushed at the mosh pit or lose their flip flop in the mud. Everyone seems to really love their chaco, keen, or teva sandals for these reasons. They let your feet breathe and also offer a ridiculous amount of support at the same time. Just don’t forget to put sunscreen on your feet too... Chaco tan lines are not that attractive.

Sense of humor and adventure:

I mean, you're out there to have a good time and see some of your favorite bands. Plus, you're most likely surrounded by people who like the same music you do! Relax, meet new friends and enjoy the show!