Soo... I went to a pulmonologist today. Finally, after 1 year of suffering from retarded asthma and at least 4 bouts of bronchitis, my primary doctor sent me to a lung doc. I've been seeing an "asthma/allergist" doc, but I learned today that I was on the "typical" asthma regime and why hadn't I had these tests, and I should be taking these other meds. huh??? So, at least for now...I'm taking the max dose of advair every 12 hours, some other asthma inhaler 3-4 times per day, my rescue inhaler in case I'm in danger of cacking (that's death to you and I), singulair at night, veramyst, and nasasomething or other. Oh yeah, throw in a benedryl at night. You get the pic...I'm medicated up. poor lungs... I couldn't even get through my usual pulmonary function test with out hacking my lungs out forever. meh... My favorite though?? I'm going to stop taking everything this weekend and then go in for a 3-4 hour lung "stress" test. yeah... So, asthma without asthma meds... AND, they're going to spray some shit into my lungs to irritate them to get me to start having asthma symptoms and maybe even an attack. All this to actually measure the response of my lungs to irritants. tits! I can't wait! I'm so sure I'll blog about this test next week. sweet!

ANYWAY... My riding has been curtailed. I'm still riding probably 2-3 times per week, which is not my usual 6-7 days/week. It could be that my asthma is not so good right now so I don't have the energy nor the will for longer rides. It could be that my ass almost got smeared off this planet not too long ago. I dunno... But, I'm loving my rides and it's kind of nice not having such a bad fever over my bike. I can relax...which is nice too. ehhh... maybe it's just a pendulum...

I just returned from a nice long ride. :) I always feel naturally high after a ride. :) You know that commercial the one where there's a kid talking about the "perfect present?" My favorite is the little girl talking about getting a pony for christmas and how jealous her friend was...hee heeee. Then as she says "perfect..." they pan to her as an adult looking at a ...dull car...of all things. What a great commercial...except that I think they should pan to a woman staring with loving eyes at her new ride...her bike. sighhh... Remember My Pretty Pony? When I look at my bike, I think of My Pretty Pony. Well, I didn't have a Pretty Pony, I had Breyer horses. These were the model horses for those of us who were waiting for our real "pretty pony." After I finally got "my pretty pony" for real, I would go to the barn and spend hours brushing, cleaning, talking, and of course riding my horse. Sometimes I would arrive at the barn in the morning and leave at night. My horse and I would fly over the fields and fences at top speed...bare back...no bridle...just a halter and rope. True freedom...and my horse would run his heart out. I was all grin ear to ear...even if I ate dirt and came home bruised and battered.

That's how I feel when I ride my bike.

Ok, so many folks want to know why one rides a motorcycle. This question is typically followed by an uncool statement about how "everyone dies" riding a bike, which I will address shortly.

I ride because I believe in living my life my way, because any day for any reason could be my last. My philosophy is the much quoted sentiment (at least by people like me), "My body will be ridden hard, worn-out, and bruised when it goes to the grave." Or something like that... probably a little more poetic. For me, I feel alive when I ride my bike. I feel electricity flowing through my veins. I'm aware of everything and nothing at the same time. I'm awake with the tension of fear, excitement, and a love of life. The wind buffets my body and my bike and I feel uplifted. I pull up next to my husband at a light and we look at each other with bug-eating grins, closer ...on a different plane.

Now, to those freaks who insist on telling me and mine some sick story. I'm not sure what your problem is... because your stories and warnings are certainly NOT meant to keep me from riding (cuz yer too late). I think you are a killjoy, lame-o, that is trying to take the joy out of someone else's life. This message is for you...

1) No, dude, not everyone wrecks or dies in a bike accident (why on earth would they be legal if that were the case?)
2) A large portion of people who do die in wrecks are killed in wrecks caused by 1) rider error (read... lack of real training -learning from your buddy doesn't count... unless s/he is a rider instructor) OR 2) jerks who "didn't see the bike" (read I was too busy with my own life, talking on my cell phone, to actually look for anything larger than a SUV).
3) The previous point means that rider training mitigates quite a bit of risk (learning to ride defensively with skill means you can react to idiot car drivers).
4) A lot of people die in car accidents, or did you forget that?
5) Everyone dies. You are going to die too (probably from cancer or heart disease).
6) I've been around four deaths. None of the deaths were related to bikes and two were due to car accidents (it's not fun trying to pull a car off of someone struggling for their life)
7) I almost died after two of my surgeries (not related to bikes...heart paddles anyone?).
8) The point I'm trying to make with the previous two points is that I'm completely aware that I could die due to any number of causes at any time. So, I choose to LIVE my life like each day could be my last (b/c it could be).
9) Keep your negative attitude to yourself.