hello internets.

i do indeed have a road bike, got it last weekend, which was good timing because this morning my hybrid got sick. my back brake is sticky and not working. boo. at the last minute i had to hop on my new raleigh intrigue 2.0 and race to work (i had missed the bus by 30 seconds). originally i was going to keep my new baby for only long rides because 1) i dont' have a good lock (yet) 2) it has clipless pedals and i me being the wuss i am i will probably need a LONG time to get the hang of it 3) with all the potholes & traintracks on my route i don't want to pop a tire and 4) i don't have a rack to hang my pannier.

so my new bike i love love love. which is good because i paid an arm & a leg for it imho. i went back and forth and back and forth about this bike. i never planned to spent this much on a bike, but at the same time i didn't want to settle for just any old bike....i really wanted one that i adored and felt comfortable on. plus i know that i'll use it for years and years (after the last five on my $60 craigslist hybrid which i still plan on using. i went back to the bike shop twice to test ride. i put it on hold. i shopped around elsewhere. but this bike just spoke to me (like seeing our house for the first time)...it was perfect. and i don't regret buying it. i kept my promise to myself. i splurged (which many of you know is hard for me to do!), although technically i still got a great deal (and, if you happen to be curious and google this bike, know that i happily spent MUCH less than even the online sale prices). it was in the "used" bike section but it was brand new, only a clearance model because it was a 2007, which is great because i get the lifetime warrenty. all i need now is a very cute bike skirt with my rei 20% off. i just wish it was easy to take on planes and travel with. my sister wants to do her second century ride for her birthday it would be awesome to join her. i also wish i had more biking friends nearby (anthony!). it's an adorable bike, plus has great components (shimano 105/tiagra shifters, easton ec20 carbon fork, etc.), i am going to have this one for years to come. best of all. it FITS me. a women's frame.

so this week has been one of sun and thunderstorms. both of which i love at the right time and place. it's been sweet to be able to bike to work without gloves and layers over layers! also, one monday they were filming at the capitol for the movie public enemies, which has mostly been set in wisconsin, and stars johnny depp and christian bale. so once i see the movie (like all of wisconsin will), i can say hey i was there watching that courthouse scene and then move on with my life. but really, it was kinda neat to see the streets shut down and all the cast in their 20's getup and the crew and lights camera action. oh, and the antique cars.

on to chicken news. not much to report. the hens are doing well. except one of them (i think sterling but it's hard to track down) is laying paper-thin eggs. which means that most of the time they're broken in the coop. not sure what's up because the other two have hard shells and there is a supply of oyster shell (calcium) readily available. one annoying thing that has been happening is that the chickens are much louder than before. so much so that i can hear them from bed with our window open in the morning. i hope that keep quiet...i think with all the green around them and bugs crawling they just want to be let out.

the last two weekends have been busy. with school wrapping up for the spring, paul is overloaded with work. and we also spent part of both weekends (each saturday) in chicago. lots of driving, but it was good to spend time with family and reflect on the life of paul's uncle scott, and then celebrate paul's cousin's 21st birthday as well as give him a big farewell as he starts his first 6 years in the air force.